As per figures reported by comScore in mid-April, Bing has been able to reach a 20% share of the search market in the USA. This is a record for the search engine. As for Yahoo, the percentage of market gained is at 12.7%. Since Bing and Yahoo have now joined forces in an alliance, the Yahoo Bing Network is currently enjoying a 33% market share. This figure is by far the highest market share that the search engine alliance has been able to reach. In December 2012 comScore has reported that the alliance was at a 28 percent in the search market. As for the market leader, Google is at a 64.4% share this year against the 67% reach it enjoyed in 2012.
These figures alone are of prime importance to search marketers. Optimizing for the search engine that holds a third of the market is crucial. However, the adoption rate for the Yahoo Bing Network by marketers has not significantly increased. According to a recent study pertaining to the performance of paid searches on Google AdWords and Yahoo Bing Network, it was found out that on average, only about a third of advertisers had displayed an ad on the first SERP for both Yahoo Bing and Google during the year. The percentage who had displayed Google alone amounted to 66% while those displaying Yahoo Bing alone were only at 2%.
This implies that marketers banking on Google alone might be missing out a third of the consumer searches and might consider Yahoo Bing in their initiatives.