What Are Search Engines?

Search engines help to categorize and search web properties so that people can find the pages and sites that are useful for them. Search engines are possibly the most powerful and meaningful resident on the Net, the mechanism that gets people where they want to go on the Web, and directs online lookers to your business.

Search engines are the gateway for people searching for products, services, brand information, news, or anything else they might seek. It’s how websites are located, hotels are found, and where your identity can either shine or become obsolete.

Some facts on Search Engine Usage:
1. More than eight in ten American internet users have gone to search engines to find information on the Web. (Source: Jupiter Media Report)

2. 81 percent of customers have searched online for a product or service to buy (SmartInsights)

3. Organic search traffic and paid search combined to generate 68 percent of traffic to a website (SmartInsights)

How search engine market share is divided

Google continues to be the largest search engine. On a global scale, it holes over 88%+ of the search traffic. The next largest search engines are as follows:

Bing: 6.18%

Yahoo: 2.51%

Baidu: .59%

Yandex: .26%

It is important to note, however, that these statistics are on a global level. Locally, the numbers can be very different. For example, Baidu is by far the largest search engine within China, outpacing even Google. However, its location-specific usage means that its global percentage of use is small.

Interestingly, if one includes YouTube, the video platform, it would rank as the second most popular search engine. This clearly demonstrates the popularity of video for modern audiences.

How do I use this information to make my content more visible?

Understanding the importance of the different social media platforms can help you prioritize your optimization campaigns and strategies.

1. Determine where your targeted audience lives and the most popular search engines there.
2. Engage in SEO best practices to help boost your content discoverability, including the creation of authoritative, trustworthy content that applies to topics of interest to your audience.
3. Promote the content through paid search, social media, and email to help people find it, boost its engagement, and thereby also build stronger rankings.
4. Incorporate the use of video as possible to take advantage of the popularity of YouTube and the millions of searches it gets each day.
5. Stay on top of the latest industry developments and algorithm changes to help you keep your content and site running optimally.

Search engines have become an increasingly prominent part of modern marketing. Understanding their role for consumers can help you create a strong brand presence.