When it comes to search engines, Google is the king of search engines with a massive user base. But there are other search engines with millions of active users per day.
Most users solely focus on Google SEO but other search engines can also be worth considering. It may help broaden your website reach into new audiences.
In this article, let’s look at alternate search engines and why you should consider them.
Should You Worry About Alternative Search Engine SEO
Simply answering this would be a yes. Google is the most popular search engine used Worldwide, with 5.9 million searches per minute and a global market share of 91.47%. Other search engine users are comparatively low, considering Google. But recently, some of them have been gaining popularity.
Bing’s global market share was 3.42% as of January 2024, up from 2.97% in 2023, indicating its increased popularity in recent times.
Optimising SEO for these alternate search engines can positively impact your website by attracting new audiences and broadening your online presence.
Why should you consider Alternate Search Engines
Visibility in certain Geographical Locations
Google is not the popular search engine used everywhere around the world. Some countries use different search engines, for example, Baidu in China, Yandex in Russia, and Naver in South Korea.
Baidu rules the Chinese search engine market with an 85% share. Whereas Google has only 2.04% of the Chinese Search engine market as of 2023. On the other hand Yandex, known as the Google of Russia, holds 69.93% of the total search engine market in Russia. Whereas Google comes in the second position with only 28.55% of the Russian search engine market.
If your target audience is from a specific geographical location, then in order to rank on these locations, it is wise to optimize content for these alternate search engines.
Enhanced privacy
Google and its other tools track and collect personal data from its users. There have been allegations surrounding Google for privacy breaches. There are alternate search engines out there that respect the users’ privacy.
Alternate search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Startpage, and Brave do not track their users. People concerned with this issue can switch to these alternate search engines that value their users’ privacy.
Lower competition compared to Google
Optimizing the content for alternate search engines might help rank your website at the top of the search results. Most websites optimize for the Google SERP and there is a high competition compared to other search engines.
If you consider optimizing for other search engines, you have a better chance of ranking at the top of the page than on Google. Globally, the second largest search engine is Bing. Compared to Google, the number might be really low, but Bing has over 100 million users per day. So, it wouldn’t hurt to consider other search engines as well.
How to rank on alternate search engines?
Understanding the ranking factors for each search engine is essential, as each has its own algorithm. But generally, SEO strategies like using relevant keywords, content quality, backlinks, etc, stay similar across various search engines.
- Keywords are the one most basic SEO strategy used by all search engines. Use keyword research and identify the relevant keywords based on the audience of alternative search engines. SEMrush and Ahrefs can help with keyword research.
- When you create content for an alternate search engine, focus on the region where these are popular and tailor your SEO strategies and content accordingly. If you are targeting a search engine popular in a region, try to understand its local language and references in order to resonate with the audience of that region.
- Using backlinks from authoritative websites can improve your SERP rankings. Whether it be Bing or Google, most search engines prioritize backlinks as a ranking factor. Baidu focuses more on backlinks from websites based in China.
- An SEO strategy which, I am not sure if Google uses but used by several other search engines is social media signals. But, Bing considers social media presence as a ranking factor. Being active on your social media can help you rank on search engines like Bing and Yandex.
- Improve user experience by optimizing the website’s speed, making your website mobile-friendly, and creating user-friendly navigation. Search engines like DuckDuckGo prioritize their user experience and privacy; hence, there is a higher chance of ranking if you pay attention to the UX (User Experience) of the website.
- Some search engines have a specific area that they specialise in. Understand this and tailor your SEO strategies accordingly so that they align with the interests of the search engine users.
SwissCows is a search engine like DuckDuckGo that emphasizes the privacy of its users. It is also a family-friendly search engine so any explicit content will be censored.
Ecosia is another search engine that focuses on eco-friendliness. Environmental friendly practices can help with ranking in the search results of Ecosia.
- Some search engines are powered by the others like Ecosia and Yahoo is powered by Bing. So, if you focus on the SEO strategies of one, you can rank on the other, too.
SwissCows shows search results and ads from Bing. Similarly, DuckDuckGo uses results from Bing and Yahoo. So basically, if you get the right SEO strategies for one, it may benefit your website ranking on multiple search engines.
As discussed above, each of these has its own unique specialities and considering those as well can take your website to a wider audience.
Also Read: Add Me to Search: How to Create Your Google People Card?
Some Alternative Search Engines to consider
Bing
Bing is owned by Microsoft and is mostly popular in the United States. It has incorporated AI into the search engine, called Copilot. Bing is Google’s competitor, and it has gained more users over the past three years. Its reward program for searches, integration of AI, and beautiful visual layout make Bing stand out.
Yahoo
Yahoo existed even before Google. It was launched in 1994 and was among the most popular search engines. Today, Yahoo displays search results from Bing, and it has a market share of 1.1%.
Yandex
Yandex is most popularly used in Russia and some of its neighbouring countries. The minimal and easy-to-use design, along with the personalisation and feature to turn off ads, are some of its specialities.
Ecosia
This is a search engine that is dedicated especially for environmental causes. It uses its profit to plant trees and environmental conservation. Since 2015, it had planted over 100 million trees, which also indicates the increase in the number of its users in recent times. It promotes eco-friendly organizations. The search results of Ecosia are powered by Bing.
Baidu
This Chinese based search engine is the most prominent search engine in China. It uses AI technology and has a wide range of services similar to Google.
DuckDuckGo
As of 2024, this search engine has a market share of 1.9% in the US and a global market share of 0.53%. The privacy and security that it provides to its users is what makes it popular. It does not track its user’s personal information, and hence, there are no targeted ads or personalized search results.
Apart from the privacy feature, it has a private voice search and the bang shortcut feature that takes you directly to search results on other sites.
Brave
Brave is a search engine and web browser focused on privacy, launched in 2021. As of 2024 January, it has 24.75 million daily users.It doesn’t rely on other search engines like Bing or Google for the search results; rather, it has its own index.
It provides privacy and safety to its users by blocking third-party data storage, trackers, and unwanted ads. It also has other features like AI powered answering, and search rankings influenced by community feedback.
Also Read: Barnacle SEO: How To Leverage The Authority Of Top-Ranking Websites
Conclusion
Google, the tech giant tops the list with the most number of active users and considering its popularity, Google cannot be ignored. Follow the Google SEO strategies and at the same time consider alternative search engines too. Knowing your audience demographics and preferences can help with understanding what works the best.
Google has had issues with not protecting its user’s privacy and tracking the user data, which has also resulted in losing some of its users. At the same time, its counterparts are gaining popularity in recent times. So, trying out these other search engines is not a bad idea as it helps increase your audience base.
Hello, I’m Farhan Srambiyam, I am a Microsoft and Google Certified Digital Marketing Strategist and an SEO Expert in Calicut, Kerala. The extensive experience I possess with commitment and hard work has indeed made a mark on my career journey.
As an SEO Expert in Kerala, I greatly helped several companies and businesses get the most out of the digital space. Need to catch up on anything related to Marketing? All you have to do is schedule a call.
