To Google or not to Google, that is the question?

How many times a week do you hear someone say, “Oh, I don’t know the answer let me google it!”

And, when looking for the answer, does that said someone Google or do they use something else?

When did Google become part of our vocabulary, a word to replace search?

So many questions!

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) the word ‘google’ became a verb in the early 1990s, and the definition of ‘to google’ is to type words into a search engine in order to find information! The masses have spoken, apparently!

So far in 2024 Google has retained an over 81% share of the global search market so it is no surprise that search agencies, paid media experts and SEO specialists spend hours discussing leaked documents, the constantly changing algorithms and what might come next to interrupt marketing campaigns and search rankings.

So, with Google dominant what are the alternatives, and are they worth exploring when it comes to marketing?

From the main competition to niche and socially responsible to privacy-focused, there are many other options available for searching!

The Main Competition

After Google, the leading search engines are Bing and Yahoo, but are they capable of a takeover?

Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, is the second biggest of the search engines and it roughly has a market share of 5%. Setting it apart from others is the AI-powered chat feature, although the competition is already on its AI heels. Bing’s generative AI makes searching more assistive and potentially more fun as you converse with your search engine to narrow down and find the best results.

Yahoo started life as a web directory but soon added other services including emailing, real-time news updates, online shopping and gaming. Many searchers who use Yahoo prefer the user experience which is easy to navigate to ensure user satisfaction. The Yahoo algorithm may not have the market share of other engines, but it still relies on website ranking, keyword relevance, website authority and social signals, whilst also considering geographical location.

With these options keeping up to date with AI and trends their market share could increase, which means marketers have a choice.

Niche

Individuals bring to search their own set of needs. That need may be that responses need to be purely scientific, and data orientated or on the other hand, they may need reviewed or recommended answers.

For individuals who respond well to facts Wolfram/Alpha’s goal is to ‘make all systematic knowledge computable and accessible to everyone.’ If expert knowledge and clarity in every search is what you are looking for then Wolfram Alpha is a perfect search engine for your needs and if you or someone you know anyone is sitting exams this is an absolutely perfect revision tool!

Wayback Machine and archive.org allow you to search archived versions of websites. Throughout history society has found a way to collect and preserve artefacts about heritage and culture, it is why The Natural History Museum is so popular, alongside many others! Having a curation of website pages allows a digital view of history and a historic view of digital, which we can reminisce over and learn from.

Niche search engines might not provide marketers with a huge audience, but they could provide specific and targeted audiences.

Socially Responsible

Generational changes to the search audience are leading the development of search engines. Gen Z profiling shows they are more socially aware and environmentally conscious than older generations, so the key to their search loyalty may lie in search engine social responsibility and eco-friendly credentials. ?

Land on the Ecosia search page and you are greeted with the message ‘The greenest way to search .’ Using Ecosia on a Mac which is pre-installed with Safari is easy, click the search icon and Ecosia comes up as an option (alongside other search engines mentioned in this article). For Chrome it is as easy as downloading an extension! Ecosia is diversifying their search providers (and in some countries when searching you can opt-in or opt-out of receiving Google results), evolving their AI, and right now you can even book a train using Omio for sustainable travel directly from the search engine.

Want to appreciate the content creators that keep you entertained? Yep does just this! The Yep search experience promises to be unbiased and private, which is a great start, but it also uses a business model which pays 90% of advertising revenue to the content makers. Their hope is that new kinds of businesses will appear, creating new exciting content to engage audiences.

For marketers, keeping up with inevitable generational changes in the search experience is going to be vital, and one thing for sure with these options is that engaging content is going to be key.

Privacy Conscious

With search users becoming more aware of tracking algorithms and a rising dislike to force-fed adverts, Duck Duck Go doesn’t track its users . Free to download and with privacy for free, DuckDuckGo blocks ads, blocks cookie pop-ups and plays YouTube without targeted ads. It also comes with browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Edge and Safari making it easy to use from your laptop, phone or tablet. For many choosing privacy as a given will be tempting.

Moving away from what you know means that Brave may be another option for the privacy-conscious. Promising fast, accurate results from its own web index, Brave doesn’t profile searchers. Because Brave doesn’t collect personal data, it can’t lose, sell or share your information. It also boasts a built-In AI, named Leo, to collect answers, generate content and summarise pages.

With privacy becoming ever more important, marketers are going to have to find new ways to understand user journeys, buying habits and a whole lot more when it comes to getting the most out of multi-channel targeting.

What does the future hold?

Currently, Google holds all the cards when it comes to digital marketing. With over 80% of the searching audience using Google, we are driven to create content that weaves around or appeases their algorithms and invest in their paid ads and key search terms.

Will there ever be a time when market share divides more equally between search engines, and when marketers have to stretch their budgets for paid advertising across all the options? Maybe you are already doing this because you're thinking about your options.

Do we hope that Google retains market share because it is easier to dance the dance with Google algorithms and updates, and have all our spend in one place? Or are we excited to explore opportunities elsewhere, even though they may be risky?

It will be interesting to watch Bing and Yahoo and their impact on market share. Still, we shouldn’t underestimate the power of the people who are eco-conscious, security-conscious and individuals.

We are interested to hear your thoughts?