Bing takes over number-two search engine rank worldwide

By Geoff Duncan March 2, 2011

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft has been investing heavily in its Bing search engine in an effort to take on market leader Google for a slice of the hot search and keyword advertising markets—and according to StatCounter the effort is bearing fruit. StatCounter’s latest figures show that Bing has finally unseated Yahoo as the world’s number-two search engine worldwide. However, on a global scale the numbers aren’t all that impressive: StatCounter finds Bing accounted for 4.37 percent of the global search market in February, with Yahoo accounting for 3.93 percent. Google, conversely, accounted for 89.94 percent of the worldwide search market.

“It is significant that Bing overtook Yahoo globally for the first time on a monthly basis but it remains a tough battle to claw back Google’s market share,” said StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen, in a statement.

Of course, Bing’s share of Internet search in some regional markets is considerably higher—like the United States, where Bing is also the driving power behind Yahoo search. In the United States, Bing accounted for 9.03 percent of searches in February, although Yahoo still was in the number-two position with a 9.74 percent share. Bing also drives Yahoo searches in Canada, Australia, Mexico, and Brazil.

February also marks the first time since August 2009 that Google’s share of the global search market has dipped below 90 percent.

Bing has recently been cricitized by Google for apparently copying Google search results in an effort to make its service more competitive.

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