Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Is Google Falling from the Ranks?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 by Michelle Hartley
When it comes to search engines, in the near future we may need
to start considering where our website ranks on other places
besides Google. Though slowly, it seems people are starting to
change the way they search for information on a daily basis.
Naturally, when we go to look something up on the Internet we
instantly type in Google.com. We even casually use the phrase,
"Why don't you Google it?" As a search engine, Google has become a
powerhouse and we would most likely expect that influence to
continue for a long time.
Well the March numbers are in, and Google seems to have slipped.
According to Mashable.com's article, "Microsoft Bing Controls 30% of Search Market,
Google Slowly Sinking," Microsoft harnesses 30.01% of the US
search market. This share is distributed almost evenly between Bing.com and Yahoo Search and
both shares are up around 5% since February.
Possibly more notable, Google controlled 66.69% of the search
market in February and as of March they are down to 64.42% of the
US market. A slight drop can indicate big changes, but a big drop
over time -- Google owning 71.59% in August, now down 10% -- can
implicate even larger changes.
But the question is why? What has Microsoft done with Yahoo and
Bing to increase their search results and what is Google not doing
to help keep up their rankings?
The mashable.com article sites this change may be due to
functionality. Google is only achieving a 65.91% success rate when
it comes to users clicking on a search result after typing in a key
phrase. Yet, 80.32% of Bing users and 81.14% of Yahoo users
successfully clicked on a link after searching a keyword. This may
indicate that Bing and Yahoo users are finding what they are
looking for with greater ease.
An article from the RedEye, a
Chicago based daily newspaper, by Scott Kleinberg inquires if the
change could be due to aesthetics. When the question posed is,
"What search engine is more visually appealing?" The answer is
simple, Bing is the clear winner. On a daily basis there is a new
photographic background on Bing that is accompanied by facts about
the picture and several places to click to learn more. While Google
does change up their logo on occasion, it never has the same and
consistent visual impact that Bing does.
Another point Scott Kleinberg makes in his article is that we
need not discount other ways people are searching for information.
He cites that often times people use Twitter's search to find the
latest information. We are starting to see people not only using
social media to keep up with friends but to buy products, find
deals, and even search for what is going on in our world.
As search engines begin to change and move around in ranking, we
will soon need to consider more closely where we rank on pages like
Bing, Yahoo, Twitter and even more.
Until next time -
Michelle Hartley
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester IT Support &
Consulting
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