Bing popularity means companies should rethink SEO approach

Microsoft's Bing search engine is gaining ground on market leader Google

Companies could be forced to alter their search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies as Microsoft’s Bing search service gains ground on the market leader Google.

According to independent SEO agency Mediarun Search, Microsoft's decision to partner with Yahoo, and integrate its Bing search technology and AdCentre search engine marketing suite into Yahoo's online offering by the end of the year, will pose a substantial threat to Google.

Marketing research company ComScore’s data shows that Google is still the overwhelming market leader, accounting for 63.7 per cent of US searches. However, it is losing ground to its rivals, with Yahoo and Bing currently accounting for 18.3 per cent and 12.1 per cent of searches respectively.

“It might be a little premature for an SEO company to drop its existing Google-centric search engine marketing strategies and focus on Yahoo or Bing optimisation alone; but it is clear that ensuring website optimisation efforts take into account users on alternative search engines is vital,” the agency advised in a statement.

“Any SEO company worth its salt is aware that search engine marketing - and search engine optimisation in general - is constantly evolving.”