The Four Most Popular Search Engines

 Posted on October 09,2015 in OVC Lawyer Marketing

While you may not be familiar with the term “genericized trademark,” you probably use them every day. When you have a cold, you may ask for a Kleenex, despite the box being labeled as Puffs. If you cut yourself, you will probably go find a Band-Aid, and maybe take an aspirin for lingering pain. Hook-and-loop fasteners of any type you likely know as Velcro. Now, the same concept is being applied to the world of digital technology, and especially online searches. Not all that long ago, it was relatively common to direct someone looking for information on a particular topic to Ask Jeeves, referring to a search engine launched in 1995. You can probably see where this is headed; today, hardly an hour goes by where you do not hear the phrase “Google it,” or “I was Googling something…" Despite Google's stranglehold on its search engine competitors, it is important to recognize that alternatives do exist and may actually be more popular than many realize.

1. Google

With its enormous range of products and services for both private users and businesses, Google has quickly become a cornerstone of the web tech industry. As the world’s largest search engine, when Google speaks, marketers listen, as evidenced by the reaction to major algorithm changes this past spring. Google.com is the most visited website in the world, and its search engine hosts more than 1 billion unique visitors every month. More than 3.5 billion searches are conducted through Google every single day, working out to 1.2 trillion per year. This represents approximately two-thirds of all web searches, and nearly 90 percent of all searches conducted on mobile devices. It is hardly surprising that “Google” has literally become synonymous with “look it up on the Internet.”

2. Bing

While no other search engine comes close to touching Google for the top spot at the moment, Bing is extremely popular alternative. Backed by the power of Microsoft, this search engine has greatly improved as it evolved from its early days as MSN search, becoming Bing in 2009. Several internet outlets actually rate Bing’s results as more helpful than Google’s, but by sheer volume of users, Bing is a distant second, facilitating about 18 percent of all Internet searches. However, 350 million different users per month—more than the population of the United States—cannot be all wrong.

3. Yahoo! Search

Fluctuation in the Internet marketplace over the last several years indicate that the real fight among search engines is for second place. It is becoming increasingly clear that unless something dramatic happens, nobody is going to catch Google, but Bing and Yahoo! Search continue to vie for market share. Yahoo! Search sees about 300 unique monthly visitors, and is responsible for about 10 percent of all queries. Beyond its search engine, Yahoo! is an easy-to-use center for news, travel, mail, and entertainment that makes it a common home page, especially for those who are new to the Internet

4. Ask

As the current iteration of the above-mentioned Ask Jeeves, Ask is presently the fourth most popular search engine worldwide. Known for question-answering search format, the site facilitates searches from nearly 245 million different users each month. Despite having lost significant market share in the last several years, Ask is responsible for roughly 2.5 percent of search engine queries.

Honorable Mentions

Of course, there are dozens of other search engine choices available to users around the world. AOL continues to offer reliable searches, along with Blekko, DuckDuckGo, and China’s largest search engine, Baidu. While each will probably maintain its own niche for years to come, there seems to be little doubt regarding which two will remain at the top for the foreseeable future.

No matter which search engine a prospective client uses, your company’s site should consistently rank among the top results. With professional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services from OVC, INC., you can achieve exactly that. Contact our office today to learn more about SEO and our full range of state-of-the-art online marketing products. Call 630-635-8000 to schedule an appointment today and let us help you increase your reach and online visibility.

Sources:

http://www.internetlivestats.com/google-search-statistics/

http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/search-engines

http://searchengineland.com/google-search-share-stable-bing-continues-cannibalize-yahoo-187124

http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/internet101/ss/The-Best-Search-Engines-of-2015.htm#showall

About the Author: Greg Wildman is the President of OVC, INC. Since 1999, Greg has developed hundreds of websites for attorneys from his company's inception as Online Video Concepts, LLC to the modern era's OVC, INC. Greg's knowledge of law firm marketing has helped many attorneys establish online presences through custom website development, Search Engine Optimization, legal directory partnerships, social media marketing, content writing and more.