Newsflash (April 2024)! Bing's share of the desktop search market has grown by 63.04% since 2021 (to 10.5%), from 6.44%. Even though this is still a fraction of Google’s market share; Bing are now beginning to make strides…thanks to the advert of their new suite of AI browser tools (and their integration with Bing chat). Bing also happens to have a direct line to Microsoft’s Windows userbase (comprising of 1.5 billion loyal users)…essentially giving them instant access to an already “lukewarm audience”. Even though many of these Microsoft loyalists still prefer Google over Bing (due to their much larger search index, and greater level of accuracy and relevance); the winds can change direction quickly in favor of Bing when they get around to bridging this “technological gap” (as they appear to be doing already). That’s precisely what happened to Yahoo (the former heavyweight champion in the search engine circuit) not too long ago. Even if Google don’t fall asleep at the wheel as Yahoo did…current market trends indicate that Bing are well on their way to owning a much larger slice of the search engine pie (perhaps with a little ice cream on the side). Why should any of this matter to you? It matters… because most SEO services currently in the marketplace (including many of ours) are tailored to appease Google’s search algorithms. And their army of 9000 hardworking (and sleep deprived) search bots. Whilst many of these services can help improve Bing, Yahoo and DuckDuckGo rankings to some extent; that is not at all their primary objective. This “Google Centric SEO route” made sense when Google had over 90% of the market share all to themselves. But since that’s no longer the case…it might be worth reevaluating your options. I am definitely not saying “give up on Google SEO”…because that’s not only unrealistic…it’s also not very feasible. I am instead saying…pay attention to the growing “alternative search engine” market…in the same way that you had been doing with Google for years…because the scales are now beginning to tip in the other direction. Search Engines: The Next Generation You can choose to see this (BING-centric SEO Service) as the “Plan B” route to reaching the first page of search…one with fewer roadblocks, landmines, potholes, banana peels and less traffic. OR you can incorporate it into your current digital marketing strategy to serve as a “companion piece”…essentially giving you a two-pronged SEO strategy. Either way, it will give you an advantage over everyone else who is not “up to speed” on their research. The “not so” small print In order for you to see a considerable uptick in Bing rankings, your website must be indexed on Bing and appear somewhere in the search results (even if it’s on page 55). In addition to your Bing rankings; this service also helps to improve your AOL, DuckDuckGo and Yahoo search rankings. However, it has little or no influence over your Google rankings (which is why it cannot qualify to be the of “Han Solo” in your SEO journey) . Lastly, you need to have “Bing webmaster” setup at your end, in order make use of this service…because that’s where most of the magic happens.