Every month, Web analytics firm comScore provides a fresh batch of figures tallying the market share of each of the major search engines. And each month, the numbers are a stark reminder of just how far ahead Google is from the rest of the pack.
But in April, the long-struggling Yahoo appeared to gain a little ground, as did Microsoft’s Bing. But taking a closer look reveals some changes in comScore’s methodology and a new feature on Yahoo and Bing that could have artificially inflated their market share.
E-Commerce Guide peers into the latest comScore search engine numbers.
For anyone just glancing at the latest market share data on search engines, it might appear that Microsoft and its new partner Yahoo both gained share in April, while their arch nemesis, Google, lost share.
According to April search statistics from Web analytics firm comScore, Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Bing search engine came in with an 11.8 percent share, a gain of 0.1 percent from March. Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) racked up 17.7 percent, a seemingly huge jump from 16.9 percent in March. And Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), meanwhile, fell to 64.4 percent share, down from 65.1 percent.
While Google still holds a commanding lead, it’s rarely been seen losing ground to its rivals — a reversal of fortune that could have major implications for search marketers and online merchants.