When it comes to SEO, everyone has one search engine in mind: Google. Although Google dominates the market with over 60% of all searches online, that doesn’t mean that you should put all of your marketing eggs in one basket.
Optimizing for alternative search engines is crucial because it diversifies a business's online presence beyond Google, which holds over 60% of the market share. Platforms like Bing, with nearly 16% market share, and Yahoo, at about 13% and powered by Bing, offer unique features such as better video search or display advertising. Additionally, privacy-focused engines like DuckDuckGo provide an avenue to reach users seeking more anonymity and potentially less competitive PPC ad placements. This approach helps businesses capture different user segments and mitigate risks associated with relying solely on one search engine's arbitrary rule changes.
There are many different alternative search engines out there, and customizing your SEO approach to fit their needs can benefit you in a lot of ways.
Today we’re going to discuss why you should spread your wings beyond the scope of Google, how to do it, and which alternate search engines should be your primary focus.
What Alternative Search Engines are Out There?
Before we talk about the benefits of broadening your horizons, we should first see which horizons you should be paying attention to the most. There are many different search engines out there, but if all you know is Google, then you probably don’t even realize that there is competition in this field.
Here are a few options that we think are worth your time and SEO energy.
What are the key features and benefits of Bing for SEO?
Bing is the second most popular search engine, holding just under 16% of the market share, and offers unique features that can benefit your SEO strategy. Despite often being seen as an alternative to Google, Bing provides incredible functionalities like a Flight Checker for airfares and a highly organized Video Searching experience, allowing in-browser playback. These tangible benefits mean optimizing for Bing can add significant value to your site and customers, especially if you have extensive video content.
Flight Checker – if you’re searching for airfares, Bing will automatically update you on cheaper flights and alternatives. Save more money in the long run.
Video Searching – Google is relatively jumbled when you’re trying to search for a video, but Bing has that function dialed in. The search results are much more organized, and you can start playing it in the browser (rather than going to the source site), making it faster and safer overall.
These are some real, tangible benefits to searching with Bing, which means that you can add value to both your site and your customers by optimizing for this search engine. For example, if you have a lot of video content, you can get more mileage out of it here than you might with Google.
What are the benefits of optimizing for Yahoo Search?
Optimizing for Yahoo Search offers benefits, especially as it trails Bing with about 13% of the market share and is powered by Bing, making optimization a 'twofer.' Yahoo also provides extra advantages like better display advertising in its searches, offering a more comprehensive and stable user experience compared to Google's often arbitrary changes.
Yahoo has some extra benefits as well, such as better display advertising in its searches. Google is kind of all over the map, and they are prone to changing their mind at a whim, so having this kind of comprehensive user experience can be great for your business.
Why should you optimize for DuckDuckGo for privacy and PPC?
You should optimize for DuckDuckGo because it offers enhanced internet privacy by not tracking user data, unlike Google, making it a viable choice for privacy-conscious users. Additionally, DuckDuckGo generates revenue solely from PPC ads, which can potentially lead to better ad placement opportunities compared to Google.
Benefits of Optimizing for Alternative Search Engines
So, what do these sites have that Google doesn’t? Well, it turns out that there is more to them than you might think. Another side effect of Google having such a dominant presence online is that they don’t have to listen to anyone, meaning that their rules and restrictions regarding search engine optimization are often changed arbitrarily.
Here are some reasons why you will want to invest time and energy into these other engines.
Better Local Searches
Sites like Bing will direct people to businesses that are closest to them. Google lists them based on reputation, which gives a distinct edge to companies that are large and well established. If you’re not a big box store, you can get more mileage from Bing and other engines when people search for you.
Not Beholden to Google’s Rules
Since Google will change their SEO guidelines (and keep them secret while they’re at it), it can sometimes feel like you’re fighting a losing battle. As soon as you get the ranking you want, Google may bump you for some unknown reason, forcing you to start over.
By optimizing for additional sites, you don’t have to go back to the drawing board every time there is a change in policy.
How do alternative search engines handle Flash media for SEO?
Alternative search engines, such as Bing, handle Flash media much better than Google, which struggles to rank Flash-heavy sites. Despite Flash generating mixed reactions, if you still incorporate it into your marketing and website materials, optimizing for these alternative engines can deliver more optimized search results.
How do alternative search engines offer better social integration for SEO?
Alternative search engines like Bing and Yahoo offer better social integration for SEO by allowing users to see recommendations and updates from their social media profiles directly in search results, such as a Facebook friend's liked restaurant. This functional integration is invaluable for marketers, especially given Google's past struggles with social media platforms like Google+.
With sites like Bing and Yahoo, users can see recommendations and updates from their social media profiles in their search (i.e., a Facebook friend liked a restaurant they’re looking at), which makes integration a functional part of the experience. As a marketer, being able to merge these platforms is invaluable.
What is the key takeaway for optimizing alternative search engines?
The key takeaway for optimizing alternative search engines is that while Google dominates, it shouldn't be your sole SEO focus. It's crucial to explore what other engines offer and strategically integrate them into your SEO efforts to diversify your reach and benefits.
