Even though we work hard every day to improve our analytics when looking at our analytics report, many opportunities can still be lost.
Sometimes it pays to remove our blinders and consider the several other opportunities around that could result in greater increases in traffic and conversions with less effort.
Here is an overview of seven of the most popular search engines.
1 . Google
Google is without a doubt the most widely used search engine, with over 80% of the market share. It obviously needs to be at the top of any list of search engines, though
In contrast to other types of data, such as photographs or information found in databases, the primary function of Google Search is to look for text in publicly available documents provided by web servers. Scott Hassan, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin created it first in 1996. Google developed “Google Voice Search” in 2011 to allow users to search using whispered words rather than typed ones. Google unveiled its Knowledge Graph semantic search function in 2012.
Pros and cons
The enormous potential traffic is undoubtedly the main draw of Google rankings.
The drawback is that because everyone else wants this traffic, paid search is frequently far more expensive than it is on other websites and organic search is the most competitive.
- Others contend that Google’s featured snippets, decreased numbers of organic results on the first page, increases in paid search results, etc., are driving searchers away from clicking through to websites and toward completing their needs and intents directly on the Google website, making the competition more expensive with lower potential rewards.
- Allow Google to view your page just like a user would.
Optimization Tips
- Make correct, distinctive page titles.
- affecting your title links and search result snippets.
- Make use of the meta description tag.
- To highlight essential material, use header tags.
- Add structured data markup.
2. YouTube
The top two search engines on this list are now under the authority of Google, which acquired YouTube just over a year after it was launched by former PayPal employees.
Approximately 1 billion hours of new content are added to YouTube every day, serving over 1.5 billion logged-in users each month.
If you’re curious about the first video posted, co-founder Jawed Karim is seen in a 19-second clip at the zoo. This video has received over 41 million views.
Pros and cons
Similar to Google, it’s simple to understand the appeal of such enormous traffic, but that’s also a trap for advertisers.
The potential significance of using YouTube as a traffic source cannot be understated.
It can be difficult to stand out, though, given that YouTube receives more than 500 hours of video uploads per minute.
It can be costly to compete in that market with paid chances through the Google Ads system.
Having said that, you can obtain fantastic exposure for a little cost if you can attract your target audience to your YouTube channel with captivating campaigns like those run by Geiko or Blendtec.
Tips for Optimization
You can find some helpful articles about YouTube marketing at:
- YouTube SEO: How to Optimize Videos for YouTube Search – Hubspot
- YouTube SEO: How to Rank YouTube Videos by Brian Dean
3. Amazon
Since Amazon was established in 1995, it is regarded as one of the pioneering big businesses that sold products online.
They initially sold books online, but they quickly grew. Jeff Bezos, the company’s founder, was named Time’s Person of the Year in 1999 for popularising and facilitating online purchasing.
Amazon has an advantage over other product-based search engines because it does not need to take informational search intent into account, such as “how to” searches from users. As an alternative, it could concentrate on matching customers with the most pertinent products based on their searches.
Amazon has been so successful that, in the past year, nearly 50% of all online shopping searches started there rather than at Google (22%).
Pros & Cons
The advantages are clear: size, as with Google. If you offer blue widgets and want to appear where customers look for them, you should be on Amazon.
In fact, some might argue that having a tonne of fantastic content that people will find helpful will help you rank on Google and attract people who are trying to figure out what blue widgets are and which one they need. However, unless you’re on Amazon, you won’t be where these people are when they’re actually trying to convert.
The drawbacks include the intense competition, the ease with which customers may evaluate prices and other aspects of rival items, and the occasional high cost of selling there. In a system focused on products, it is tough to communicate your special value-adds.
If you don’t have a distinctive product, it may be challenging to enter early because rankings are mostly based on sales and reviews. The same applies to established businesses that have high-quality goods and solid reputations.
CPC alternatives are available as well for product marketing. It can be expensive, but what engine wouldn’t be when you’re getting the searcher at the purchase end of the cycle?
Although it’s still too early to tell, this is an area to watch to see how Alexa may affect searches and purchases. The third article below addresses it further to help you get ready for the potential scenario where Amazon triumphs (or at least does well in the personal assistant race).
Optimization Tips
You can find some helpful articles on Amazon marketing at:
Amazon SEO: How to Optimize Your Product Listings (Step-by-Step Guide)
Amazon SEO Isn’t Google SEO: 6 Differences That Matter by Travis Jamison
4. Facebook
Facebook (as we know it) was established in 2006. It was solely open to students before 2006 when it became available to the general public.
It’s not what comes to mind when considering search engines. However, it has significantly surpassed 2 billion searches per day, surpassing Microsoft Bing.
With more than 1.62 billion logged-in users each month, Facebook also offers companies and advertising great market access. Additionally, individuals frequently check Facebook when they’re not at work (the current firm clearly being an exception), which may make it easier for them to follow their noses and become distracted by your product if it appeals to them.
Pros and cons
It’s becoming very clear how this narrative will end. The user base is the most significant “positive,” yet this is true for practically all platforms. The pricing is the largest “negative” associated with that user base.
The cost per click can reach several dollars, making it less expensive than Google Ads but nonetheless expensive depending on your target market. Some would contend that the traffic isn’t as focused.
Another pros and cons are that, although traffic through the Google Ads search engine centres around search queries (at least on Google), providing an inherent relevance, a lot of Facebook advertising revolves around job titles, localities, hobbies, and other demographic data. You lose some relevance. However, it’s an excellent way to get in front of individuals who aren’t searching for you.
Do you want to release a new product?
How do you get your new ebook in front of a group of SEO specialists that aren’t necessarily looking for an “SEO ebook”? Facebook provides a great deal of freedom in this regard.
While their organic reach has declined somewhat in recent years, Facebook may still be a reliable source of unpaid traffic.
This includes ensuring brand loyalty and consistent content production, as consistent engagement is the key to ranking organically.
Optimization Tips
A few valuable pieces on marketing on Facebook can be found at
- How to Optimize Facebook Ads: 10 Tips & Tricks from the Pros –Kristen McCormick
Optimization Tips to Help Maximize Your Campaign Results by Facebook
5. Microsoft Bing
In 2009, Bing took the place of MSN Search as Microsoft’s response to Google. Launching with only 8.4% of the market share for searches, they swiftly surpassed 10% and increased to 28.1% in an agreement later that year to power Yahoo search. AOL was added to the list of websites for which they offer search results in 2016.
They become a legitimate competitor as a result of these upgrades, and their market share for all Microsoft goods and services is getting close to 25.7%.
In an effort to catch up to Google, Bing has been making a lot of moves in the advertising space, adding a number of features to Microsoft Ads. However, these moves are typically made in an effort to play catch-up or to align their system with Google’s for manager familiarity and import ease.
Bing officially changed its name to Microsoft Bing in October 2020.
Pros and cons
Microsoft Bing has a decent market share in many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, although not as much as Google.
Even though they are making significant progress in the AI field, their algorithms are not as advanced naturally as Google’s.
Because of this difference in sophistication, they are typically simpler to comprehend, forecast, and optimise for. Although it won’t last forever, this is probably the case in the near future.
Fewer SEO experts are competing for the top 10 spots and studying algorithms because of the lower traffic, which gives those who do a good ROI.
On the ad side, there are less sophisticated systems to work with. Due to the lower volume and ease of setup from existing Google Ads campaigns, the lower traffic can easily be made up for by the lower CPC.
Despite the lesser number of conversions on Microsoft Bing, the ROI is frequently better.
Note – This does not suggest that you should just duplicate your Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Ads and move on. It is necessary to handle each engine separately with regard to its CPC and demography (resulting in different conversion rates, etc.). However, cloning campaigns can expedite setup time significantly.
Optimization Tips
A few valuable pieces on marketing on Bing can be found at
6. Baidu
In China, Baidu, which was established in 2000, has a market share of over 70%, much surpassing that of Google, which is only about 3%.
They are currently deploying their computer for self-driving cars, making significant investments in AI, and expanding their core offerings in ways that are very similar to Google.
Baidu has minimal sway outside of China. Baidu powers more than 2.9 billion searches every day throughout the nation.
Pros and cons
The drawback of Baidu is that it offers access to just one market. One benefit is that it gives access to a huge market.
That being said, it’s imperative to realise that entering the Chinese market is unlike entering any other (such is the curse of international SEO).
Google Translate won’t help you attract customers because the sights, language, and customs are all different.
You need someone on staff who knows the language and is familiar with cultural marketing if you want to use Baidu to enter the Chinese market.
Overall, Google’s organic algorithms are simpler than their sponsored ones, though setting up their paid systems can be more challenging if you live outside of China.
Optimization Tips
- Baidu 101: An Overview of Baidu Webmaster Tools
- Technical and On-Page SEO Guide for Baidu by Simon Lesser
7. Yandex
The initiative that two Russian developers launched in 1990 under the name Arkadia to help categorise patents is where Yandex got its start.
Yandex, which stands for “Yet Another iNDEXer,” was coined in 1993. In 1997, the Yandex.ru domain went live.
With an IPO of $1.3 billion in 2011, they went public on the New York Stock Exchange, making it the second-largest at the time (right after Google).
Currently, 42.35% of all Russian searches are powered by Yandex.
Pros and cons
Yandex has less traffic than most smaller engines, but there is less organic and paid rivalry.
Yandex uses less complex algorithms than Google does, making them simpler to evaluate and improve.
The bad news is that, despite Yandex’s less advanced algorithms than Google, they have characteristics that make it challenging for outsiders to use, such as a higher weighting on geolocation.
The commercial system is undoubtedly more flexible in this aspect and frequently costs less per click than Google, Facebook, and Microsoft Bing. For instance, in the United States, ranking #1 for “casino” would cost over $55 per click, yet only $0.82 on Yandex. Obviously, that’s an English term, but even “каинo” in Russian costs just $1.54.
Optimization Tips
- Yandex SEO: 13 Tips on How to Optimize for this Search Engine–Antonio Tinoco
- Yandex SEO : The complete guide – Twaino
Now you have learned which search engines are most used, you can learn how to optimize them. Check out this post.
