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How Google, Bing, and Other Search Engines Compare in 2022

When you think of a search engine, you probably think of Google. It’s the most popular search engine globally for both mobile and desktop. It’s even become a verb: “googling” a topic is synonymous with searching online for information. Notably, we never “Bing” or “Yahoo” information. These search engines haven’t made their way into our vernacular because they objectively aren’t used as much as Google.

That’s not to say brands can’t benefit from being visible on other search engines. There are benefits to pursuing paid advertising and other marketing strategies on search engines besides Google. We’ve compiled search engine analytics to help you identify which platforms can get more eyes on your business.

Market Share

Google is miles ahead of every other search engine for mobile and desktop searches. As of July 2022, they hold 84% of the market share for desktop searches. In mobile searches, they have a whopping 94% of the market share.

How Google, Bing, and Other Search Engines Compare in 2022

In 2019, Google recognized how smartphones changed the way we use search engines and transitioned to a mobile-first mindset. Their mobile-only search index became the primary index, meaning that mobile users get better filtered, more pertinent searches. And since 94% of people in the U.S. with smartphones search for information on their phones, a mobile-first approach cemented Google’s lead in search engine popularity.

Google’s focus on mobile helps account for the more significant amount of desktop search engine diversity. Bing and Yahoo collectively account for 11% of desktop search traffic. A small number of users are also turning to a platform that emphasizes privacy called DuckDuckGo. Because they never collect personal data, they show ads based on the search results page. Paid ads on this platform are not targeted and are reaching users that are not as likely to convert. But with DuckDuckGo holding just 1% of the market share, most of your potential customers can still be reached with targeted paid media.

Search Volume

The top three platforms host millions of searches every day. Google, again, holds the overwhelming majority with Microsoft Sites and Verizon Media (OneSearch) trailing behind them. Here’s how they stack up as of January 2022.

How Google, Bing, and Other Search Engines Compare in 2022

Marketing Viability

Paid advertising is one of the digital marketer’s most reliable tools. In fact, 68% of marketers describe paid advertising as “very important” or “extremely important” to their marketing efforts. The data suggests that not only are potential customers more receptive to digital paid advertisements but they’re also easier for marketers to implement at scale.

Unsurprisingly, Google and its stack of advertising tools performed the best in terms of search advertising. For Q1 of 2022 Google Search reported revenue of $39.6 billion. Marketers’ confidence in Google is supported by consistently strong results. In 2020, the company Purple used Google Ads audience targeting via YouTube and consequently saw a 34.6% boost in brand consideration. Additionally, Google Maps searches for queries with “near me” phrasing were up 100%. This indicates that syncing Google Maps and Google Business Profile for a one-stop-shop method has paid off in a big way for both local businesses and large chains. Google Business Profile does a lot more than just supplement Maps – more on that here. 

How Google, Bing, and Other Search Engines Compare in 2022

The most popular optimization tactics in use by marketers today involve fine-tuning ad placements and audience targeting, both of which depend on collecting data from users. By now we all recognize pop-ups prompting us to allow cookies that track our activity on a website. Opting out of extraneous cookies is as far as the majority of users will go to avoid seeing extra advertisements. As of 2020, only 41% of desktop users enabled adblockers, a decrease from 2016’s 52% of users with adblockers.

Microsoft Advertising offers its own planning tools to access audience and marketplace data. They have PPC advertising placements on Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo. Microsoft search network audience members spend about 26% more when online shopping from their desktop computers. That’s not an insignificant number. It could be worthwhile to put more time into a platform with less overall traffic but more buying power as a supplemental option.

ThumbStopper

How Google, Bing, and Other Search Engines Compare in 2022

In 2022, Google remains the top platform in every metric. Being active on Google, whether that’s running your website, creating paid ads, or managing social accounts is the best way to reach the right audience at the right time.

ThumbStopper works with the world’s most popular search engine to get your social content to your retailer network. Brands can increase their reach by speaking to the hyper-local level with their distributed content. Retailers get the opportunity to improve their social media presence with branded content simply by opting in. Combined with Google’s dependable algorithm and constantly improving Search features, ThumbStopper gets more eyes on your content.

Book a demo to learn more about what ThumbStopper can do for you.

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Key Points:

 

  • Companies should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible.
  • Brands that concentrate on accessibility on social media demonstrate care for their customers and build a positive brand reputation.
  • Brands should always consider inclusive design, such as plain, straightforward language, in their social media posts.

 

 

Accessibility may not be a term you usually associate with the internet and social media. You might picture wheelchair ramps, directional signs in braille, or sign language interpreters at live performances. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 dictates the legal necessity of these and similar accommodations in public spaces. As we’ve come to rely on the internet for everything from entertainment to buying groceries, it’s become clear that the internet is now also a public space. It must be accessible to everyone. And like other applications of ADA, businesses that do not comply are liable for damages caused by inaccessibility.

 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international set of standards to provide instruction on meeting accessibility needs. It’s important for companies to understand how this applies to their websites, especially if they engage in e-commerce. In terms of social media, the requirements are less concrete. But prioritizing accessibility on your company’s social media is essential to your reputation, even if the legal requirements are uncertain. We’ll look at why it’s important to your customers, how it affects the perception of your brand, and how to make these changes efficiently.

Social Media for All

The cornerstone of accessibility is inclusive design: products or experiences that are accessible for everyone regardless of disability. The most important place where this shows up is on company websites where most users expect to also find links to the brand’s social media profiles. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of websites are not accessible, despite the fact that the application of ADA to the internet is over 20 years old. Making websites accessible is a complex process without the use of specialized software like Accessibe or EqualWeb.

Unlike websites, making sure your social media is accessible is a straightforward, ongoing process. Every social platform has been quick to release optional accessibility features. These features are important to many users even if they don’t rely on them to use social media.

Making your social presence accessible tells users that your brand cares about people, not just profits. It’s the same idea as the push for the representation of different body sizes in fashion or more expansive skin tone ranges in beauty products. Brands that meet the needs of underrepresented groups endear themselves to others as well. And while optimizing your brand website for accessibility might be a larger project you aren’t ready to tackle yet, starting with your social media pages is a great way to show customers that you’re listening to their concerns. 

 

Making Content Accessible

Shifting to accessible content means incorporating inclusive design into your creative process. The practice varies by type of media. For platforms that have graphics or videos with captions, it means not only adjusting each component but also being mindful of how they interact with each other.

For example, YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions and subtitles are often inaccurate. It's one of many examples where the caption generation software has issues picking up strong accents and mumbled words. This could be remedied with handcrafted video transcription services. If that’s not in the budget, the video creator could add their script or transcription to the video description.

None of the technology for accessibility is perfect yet. Teaching computers to digest complex information for human understanding is difficult, and the variations in disabilities further complicate it. The majority of adjustments creators need to make revolve around helping assistive technology better understand their content. Let’s look at how to make different kinds of content accessible. 

Text

  • Use plain language that’s easy to understand 
  • Avoid text in all caps
  • Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #SocialMediaMarketing, a practice called camel-case

Videos

  • Provide descriptive captions. Instead of just displaying the words people on-screen say, explain background noises and other sounds that are relevant to the scene.
  • Add your own subtitles or enable auto-subtitles on the video platform of your choice
  • Use captioning for live videos when possible

Graphics

Distribute Accessible Content

Many users find their new favorite brand through social media. When disabled people (who make up 26% of the population according to the CDC) can’t access your brand’s social posts, you miss the opportunity to connect with a demographic that’s eager to engage in online communities. On a hyper-local level, that kind of connection goes even further.

That’s why ThumbStopper exists to help brands distribute their social content to their retailer network. Retailers can connect with their local audience - with your accessible, branded content - in a more personal way. And since content goes to their page automatically once they sign up, retailers can effortlessly promote your brand online while focusing on running their business. 

Ready to see how ThumbStopper can help your brand improve its reach? Check out our brand reach calculator or book a demo.

 

 

accessibility
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What Is Social Media Automation?
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10 Ways to Automate Your Marketing
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Key Points:

 

  • Companies should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible.
  • Brands that concentrate on accessibility on social media demonstrate care for their customers and build a positive brand reputation.
  • Brands should always consider inclusive design, such as plain, straightforward language, in their social media posts.

 

 

Accessibility may not be a term you usually associate with the internet and social media. You might picture wheelchair ramps, directional signs in braille, or sign language interpreters at live performances. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 dictates the legal necessity of these and similar accommodations in public spaces. As we’ve come to rely on the internet for everything from entertainment to buying groceries, it’s become clear that the internet is now also a public space. It must be accessible to everyone. And like other applications of ADA, businesses that do not comply are liable for damages caused by inaccessibility.

 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international set of standards to provide instruction on meeting accessibility needs. It’s important for companies to understand how this applies to their websites, especially if they engage in e-commerce. In terms of social media, the requirements are less concrete. But prioritizing accessibility on your company’s social media is essential to your reputation, even if the legal requirements are uncertain. We’ll look at why it’s important to your customers, how it affects the perception of your brand, and how to make these changes efficiently.

Social Media for All

The cornerstone of accessibility is inclusive design: products or experiences that are accessible for everyone regardless of disability. The most important place where this shows up is on company websites where most users expect to also find links to the brand’s social media profiles. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of websites are not accessible, despite the fact that the application of ADA to the internet is over 20 years old. Making websites accessible is a complex process without the use of specialized software like Accessibe or EqualWeb.

Unlike websites, making sure your social media is accessible is a straightforward, ongoing process. Every social platform has been quick to release optional accessibility features. These features are important to many users even if they don’t rely on them to use social media.

Making your social presence accessible tells users that your brand cares about people, not just profits. It’s the same idea as the push for the representation of different body sizes in fashion or more expansive skin tone ranges in beauty products. Brands that meet the needs of underrepresented groups endear themselves to others as well. And while optimizing your brand website for accessibility might be a larger project you aren’t ready to tackle yet, starting with your social media pages is a great way to show customers that you’re listening to their concerns. 

 

Making Content Accessible

Shifting to accessible content means incorporating inclusive design into your creative process. The practice varies by type of media. For platforms that have graphics or videos with captions, it means not only adjusting each component but also being mindful of how they interact with each other.

For example, YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions and subtitles are often inaccurate. It’s one of many examples where the caption generation software has issues picking up strong accents and mumbled words. This could be remedied with handcrafted video transcription services. If that’s not in the budget, the video creator could add their script or transcription to the video description.

None of the technology for accessibility is perfect yet. Teaching computers to digest complex information for human understanding is difficult, and the variations in disabilities further complicate it. The majority of adjustments creators need to make revolve around helping assistive technology better understand their content. Let’s look at how to make different kinds of content accessible. 

Text

  • Use plain language that’s easy to understand 
  • Avoid text in all caps
  • Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #SocialMediaMarketing, a practice called camel-case

Videos

  • Provide descriptive captions. Instead of just displaying the words people on-screen say, explain background noises and other sounds that are relevant to the scene.
  • Add your own subtitles or enable auto-subtitles on the video platform of your choice
  • Use captioning for live videos when possible

Graphics

Distribute Accessible Content

Many users find their new favorite brand through social media. When disabled people (who make up 26% of the population according to the CDC) can’t access your brand’s social posts, you miss the opportunity to connect with a demographic that’s eager to engage in online communities. On a hyper-local level, that kind of connection goes even further.

That’s why ThumbStopper exists to help brands distribute their social content to their retailer network. Retailers can connect with their local audience – with your accessible, branded content – in a more personal way. And since content goes to their page automatically once they sign up, retailers can effortlessly promote your brand online while focusing on running their business. 

Ready to see how ThumbStopper can help your brand improve its reach? Check out our brand reach calculator or book a demo.

 

 

accessibility
[/et_pb_column]
[/et_pb_column]
What Is Social Media Automation?
[/et_pb_column]
[/et_pb_column]
10 Ways to Automate Your Marketing
[/et_pb_column]
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