Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?

Summary: Will Microsoft's Bing grow search share at Yahoo's expense -- or Google's -- in 2012?

By Mary Jo Foley for All About Microsoft | December 16, 2011 -- 07:24 GMT (23:24 PST)

comScore's U.S. search share data for November has Microsoft's Bing and Yahoo search at about 15 percent each.

Here are the latest stats, courtesy of SearchEngineLand. (comScore hasn't made this data publicly available as of December 16.):

For November, Bing was at 15 percent share. Yahoo was at 15.1 percent. And Google continued its reign at 65.4 percent -- down slightly from its October share of 65.6 percent. Back in January 2011, according to comScore, Bing was around 13 percent; Yahoo at 16; and Google at 65.)

(These numbers are measures of "explicit" search share, which removes certain categories of searches that comScore doesn’t deem to be actual “user-engaged” searches.)

One of Microsoft's goals in teaming with Yahoo and having Bing power Yahoo search was to grow Bing's share. The idea was to do this at Google's expense. Back in early 2010 when the pair received antitrust clearance for their partnership, Yahoo had 17 percent U.S. search share, compared to Microsoft's 11 percent (with Google just over 65 percent).

The big question in 2012 will be whether "MicroHoo" grows and Google shrinks -- or whether Bing gains primarily at Yahoo's expense.

Topics: Browser, Social Enterprise

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Talkback

16 comments

Log in or register to join the discussion

RE: Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?

Who will have larger market share at the end of 2012? Bing or Windows Phone

uberlaff
16 December, 2011 07:40

Reply Vote
- RE: Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?
  
  @uberlaff that is easy BING has 10 times the marketshare now, in a year the numbers will not change.
  
  Rick_Kl
  16 December, 2011 17:38
  
  Reply Vote
Another question

You pose the key question, but here's another one: How much more money does MS make on Bing when people search it directly rather than through Yahoo!? The deal is 80-20, I believe, so they would make about 5 times as much (0-100) if people search from Bing. This will go a long way toward improving the Bing division's bottom line even if it comes at their partner's expense.

x I'm tc
16 December, 2011 07:56

Reply Vote
RE: Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?

The answer: Both.

cool8man
16 December, 2011 11:33

Reply Vote
RE: Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?

The answer: neither. Bing is a stagnant piece of property.

The Danger is Microsoft
17 December, 2011 08:00

Reply Vote
RE: Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?

At the expense of Yahoo, for sure.
Human inertia is too often ignored in this debate. "Googling" is already well established in the population's habits and it will take much more than pretty homepage pictures to change that.
The Microsoft investments in Yahoo will end-up being useless since they will only get an artificial increase in search engine points: the Yahoo points. Nothing more.
Even with a better product, shaving significant percentage points from Google is, at this time, almost impossible and poised for a very long term battle.
Human inertia. Again.

TheCyberKnight
17 December, 2011 12:52

Reply Vote
- google not that good
  
  I admit that googling has become a established word. But Bing is no noob. It's growing and expand its share,. Well Google might win in the final run, but Bing may get 25-30% share(Bing provides good results,better than Live Search)
  
  MayankSingh_781
  11 January, 2012 08:21
  
  Reply Vote
- google not that good
  
  I admit that googling has become a established word. But Bing is no noob. It's growing and expand its share,. Well Google might win in the final run, but Bing may get 25-30% share(Bing provides good results,better than Live Search)
  
  MayankSingh_781
  11 January, 2012 08:22
  
  Reply Vote
Will Bing earn money in 2012?

Signs point to "no".

symbolset
17 December, 2011 14:24

Reply Vote
RE: Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?

If bing gets all of yahoo's share, then they will be at 30%. Won't matter at that point if goog is still #1 - with that kind of share bing can be profitable a la pepsi to coke.

goombawa
17 December, 2011 15:45

Reply Vote
google as the big brother

Is like a paradox. I Stop using pc-windows computers almost 8 years ago...

And now...i feel sympathy for them. I don't enjoy with the politics of Google...I try not to use Google products anymore because i feel It behaves as the big brother....spying all your acts, your movements, your emails, your sears, your movements -via GPS-.....everything you do...google save in their database..

Yo maybe yes, Bing is a good movement right now.

zdwater
18 December, 2011 06:24

Reply Vote
- Spying Companies?
  
  @zdwater,
  So Microsoft does not gather information from it's Bing users? You may want to check that out.
  
  JimiKay
  20 December, 2011 08:31
  
  Reply Vote
google as the big brother

Is like a paradox. I Stop using pc-windows computers almost 8 years ago...

And now...i feel sympathy for them. I don't enjoy with the politics of Google...I try not to use Google products anymore because i feel It behaves as the big brother....spying all your acts, your movements, your emails, your sears, your movements -via GPS-.....everything you do...google save in their database..

Yo maybe yes, Bing is a good movement right now.

zdwater
18 December, 2011 06:24

Reply Vote
- RE: Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?
  
  @zdwater:
  Right now Google is the big brother, but given the opportunity Bing would more than gladly step in and take it's place. Microsoft doesn't want the top spot. Google has search locked down and everybody from Yahoo to Lycos respects this. Microsoft simply wants enough market share to make money, simple.
  
  C. Imanon
  19 December, 2011 12:41
  
  Reply Vote
RE: Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?

bye-bye Yahoo

JimiKay
20 December, 2011 08:25

Reply Vote
RE: Will Bing grow at Google's expense (or Yahoo's) in 2012?

Yes it will! Google has been fumbling for the last few years with no real direction and Microsoft can see that so they will take market share from Google. Microsoft's team will work hard on Bing to get the search results needed, Google's team will just sit around playing with office toys all day without doing any work. Microsoft has a huge advantage here because they don't have anything to lose.

Loverock Davidson-
4 January, 2012 06:20

Reply Vote