The rapid chilling of relations between Apple and Google has had several effects on the world of search engine optimization (SEO), but the rumor that Apple is mulling the creation of a rival search engine has tongues wagging all over the tech industry.

Ecommerce Journal reports that "one source says that there are too many reasons for the Cupertino company to replace Google[‘s] search engine from iPhone either for its own made service or for Microsoft Bing," though the site is careful to note that other sources have said that such a rumor "isn’t credible."

Google pays a hefty fee to Apple to keep its search engine as the default on the iPhone, according to Business Insider, which places the sum at $100 million per year.

The news site says that the deal to provide Google Maps on the original iPhone – done in 2007 when the companies were getting along better – was completed in two weeks, while the most recent renegotiation took six months.

Mobile search engine optimization (SEO) efforts will be shaped in large part by the outcome of the Google vs. Apple struggle, analysts say.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.