The three major search engines of today are: Google, Yahoo, and Bing (formerly MSN Search). Each of them can be used to gain organic traffic to your website, as well as to purchase paid traffic for it. These 3 search engines have their similarities and differences. In this blog post, we will discuss these major search engines and talk about using them for your website’s needs.
Google
Google is today’s Internet colossus. Here is an example of the traffic data: Google – 85%, Yahoo – 10%, and Bing – 5%. In general, the combined traffic from AOL and Ask does not even amount to one percent. As you can see, Google is the absolute leader in bringing organic traffic to websites. Furthermore, Google has the most advanced and relevant PPC advertising system. This makes Google the most efficient search engine for PPC marketers and publishers. Out of all the major search engines, Google offers the greatest free tools for keyword research. Its famous tools include: Google Keyword Tool, Wonder Wheel (a tool for new keyword ideas), and Google Trends (a great tool to locate trending keywords).
Yahoo
Yahoo is the second most important of the three major search engines. This SE has its unique algorithms to rank websites. Yahoo’s results are different from those shown by Google and other search engines. Since Yahoo may bring around 10% of the traffic to a website, it is important to ensure that you rank well in Yahoo also. In general, the same SEO techniques that are used for Google will help a website rank well in the other two major search engines (Yahoo and Bing). Yahoo also offers a PPC advertising platform. Yahoo PPC is believed to be twice cheaper than that of Google. However, some pay per click marketers complain about less efficient ad targeting, which may result in lower conversions. Nonetheless, it may be a good idea to try Yahoo PPC as well, and form your own opinion about it. A good tool by this SE is a domain availability tool.
Bing
Bing (formerly MSN search) may be the least important of the major search engines. Nonetheless, a website owner may not want to disregard the potential of gaining 5% more traffic. One of the reasons for the smaller popularity of this SE among surfers may be that it has changed its name too many times. This search engine by Microsoft was first called Live Search, then Windows Live Search, then MSN Search, and now – Bing. Bing also offers PPC – this is the cheapest PPC in comparison to the other two major search engines. Ad targeting in Bing may be even lower than in Yahoo, but cheap costs per click make Bing PPC worth a try for your website promotion.
