January sees Google enjoying a bit of a recovery as Yahoo! and Bing lose ground once more. The three main search competitors are finally regaining the market from smaller search engines as their combined share rises above 82% after a low point of 80.09% in December. Statistics provided by Net Market Share.Statistics provided by Net Market Share.
Google Cuts Ties with Motorola
Google has recently sold the money-losing mobile phone provider for significant losses: Bought in 2012 for $12.5 billion, Motorola was sold for just $2.9 billion. After the small slump over the holidays, Google's control of the market is rising again with an increase of more than 3% over December's numbers although they continue to remain well below the success Google Search experienced at this time last year. Despite continuing struggles to convince mobile advertisers to cough up the same money they pay for desktop ads, Google shares are set to rise.
Yahoo! Shares Continue to Drop
With sales of banner and video ads dropping by 6% and search ad sales falling by 4% in the final quarter of 2013, Yahoo! shares continue to drop. While traffic has increased in 2013, the end of the year saw their market share dropping well below the optimistic 7.83% they enjoyed at this time last year. The temporary rise in traffic in December has not lasted through the new year as their numbers drop almost 1%.
Bing Rewards Launched for iOS and Android Devices
Microsoft recently released their search-based reward program for both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Not yet available for Windows platforms, Bing Rewards is a new version of the Bing site rather than a mobile app and is an attempt to encourage searchers to use the Bing Network by providing rewards and incentives. While new, this program may prove highly beneficial to their rising market share. Up almost 1% over January of 2013, Bing's share has fluctuated over the course of the year but may be set to rise significantly if Bing Rewards takes off.
See December's breakdown here.
