Omikron Media

Google Vs. Microsoft – The Search War Continues in 2010.

2009 was definitely an interesting year for search engines. We saw in implementation of real time search results, Microsoft unveiling Bing, and Yahoo giving up on search.

But if there is one thing that was made predominately clear in 2009, it’s that Microsoft is serious about competing with Google. After buying up Yahoo, Microsoft is claiming a much larger portion of online search results and ad revenue.

Currently Google takes up about 70% of all online searches, Yahoo claims around 16% and Bing claims about 10% (source HitWise). One thing that is interesting to note is that Bing’s numbers have actually dropped since the their launch buzz wore off – they were initially seeing about 12% of search results (as of June 2009).

Despite the drop in numbers, I think most people would characterize Bing as a success. Google didn’t start out a giant, it grew into its position by innovating search results with a more advanced and refined algorithm than its competitors, they also gained popularity by not focusing on ad-based results (which is definitely not the case now), and a unique look.

Bing doesn’t offer much in the way of an improved algorithm, less of a focus on ad-based results, or looks (Bing definitely used Google as a source of inspiration on all of these). Microsoft’s game plan is to set itself apart by expanding search related services, integrating with social networks, and generally spending lots of money.

In terms of search results, Microsoft really doesn’t offer any improvements from the Google algorithm. The search results are similar but nothing especially different or more useful. I think that Google is a better and more friendly search engine than Bing; I get much more traffic from Google, their business listings are much easier than Bings, and Google’s suite of Webmaster Tools, Analytics, and PPC advertising is top notch.

Microsoft was the first to announce a partnership with Twitter for real-time search results (although Google quickly responded with Twitter search of their own). And with the introduction of real-time Facebook results in searches, it’s clear that both search engines view social networking as a burgeoning frontier. It’s still unclear where and if this integration will effect marketing online, but it’s exciting to see the expanse of social networking.

Things started to heat up when Rupert Murdoch spoke out against Google and their “stealing stories”. Microsoft answered the call and began offering publishers money for search results. With stories like these, it’s easy to tell that the search landscape will continue to change in 2010; for better or worse.

While Microsoft seems intent on pressuring Google to spend money in order to compete, it’s unclear on whether or not this tactic will work. Google hasn’t necessarily been open on whether or not they would pay for search results, but it seems contradictory to their nature. Google is known as a search engine where the best site wins, by opening up search results to large publishers this could effectively phase out smaller news sources (like yours truly) from ever gaining the recognition we currently receive through organic search results.

Overall, the fight continues. Microsoft will no doubt try and reclaim more of the search market in 2010 (they still have plenty of fight and money left before they back down). The big question that remains is if Google will set itself apart from Bing. At this point, they seem to be mirroring each other’s innovations and services and not offering anything unique. I think once the Facebook and Twitter search fizzles out the focus will be on content. Will Google pay for results? Will Microsoft even pay for results? I think this will be the key issue that dominate search engine news for the majority of 2010. If one things clear, Microsoft has an uphill battle in front of them, and they will need to provide something unique from Google to stand out and ultimately succeed.

Tags: Industry News, search engine news, Search Engines, SEO