Last week, Brafton reported that Hitwise data indicated Bing-powered search is gaining ground while Google is losing market share. However, comScore's latest search rankings indicate that search marketers should still focus on Google.
The comScore data shows that Google remained fairly constant in the explicit core search market, shifting from 65.6 percent in January to 65.4 percent in February. At the same time, the search giant gained ground in the total core search market last month, rising to 64.9 percent of the market.
While Microsoft also showed gains in the total core search market, these gains were matched by Yahoo’s losses, suggesting Bing-powered search share remained constant last month. Yahoo accounted for 17.3 percent of the total core market, while Microsoft represented 13.4 percent, giving Bing a total of 30.7 percent – a far cry from Google's 64.9 percent.
For internet marketers, this means Google still holds the keys to the search kingdom. Nonetheless, Brafton has reported that paid search for Bing pays off, and other comScore data suggests Bing is gaining ground as a key player in the market.
Google optimization should still be top priority, but adopting SEO tactics for Bing may be advised for brands looking to maximize online clicks.
