For the first time since its release in 2009, Bing has taken over second place in worldwide searches to begin 2011, and extended its the lead over and Yahoo in […]

For the first time since its release in 2009, Bing has taken over second place in worldwide searches to begin 2011, and extended its the lead over and Yahoo in February.

That's the assessment of StatCounter Global Stats, the research arm of web analytics company StatCounter. According to the company, Bing handled 4.37 percent of searches across the globe last month, compared to 3.93 percent for Yahoo.

The story is slightly different in the U.S. where Yahoo still holds the No. 2 spot with 9.74 percent of search, a 0.71 percentage point lead over Bing.

What might be even more telling for those focusing on search engine marketing is the news that Google's global search numbers have dipped as Yahoo and Bing fight it out for second place. But Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter, says marketers focusing on Google should have nothing to worry about.

“Although Google dipped below the 90 percent mark in February worldwide for the first time since August 2009 it shows little sign of losing its global dominance any time soon,” Cullen said.

Still, Google's stranglehold on the search world might be losing some grip, especially in areas where the Microsoft/Yahoo alliance has taken hold. As Brafton reported earlier this week, research from Marin Software has found that advertisers using Bing/Yahoo have seen a 12 percent growth in conversion since the two joined forces. At the same time, cost-per-click has dropped by 20 percent, according to the Software firm.