On almost all SEO guides you see online, you will notice that everyone talks about SEO in regards to Google. Every post is about how to gain rank on Google or best SEO practices that rank well on Google. Let’s review why Google is given such importance when it comes to web search tools and some of the SEO differences between it and other search engines.

You can easily find 15 search engines that can be used as an alternative to Google. But do they perform as good as Google? They do in some regard and fall short in others. People love Google because it’s fast, efficient and has the largest catalog of web pages. But to a business or someone who is trying to get traffic on the internet, these things don’t matter. What matters then is that the volume of people using that search engine. The more the number of users, the more traffic they may gain, simple as that!

SEO Differences Between Search Engines

When we look at the search volume, the data speaks for itself.

At first glance, you may only see one line at the bottom of the chart. Such a concentration is due to the fact that Google’s competitors occupy approximately equal market shares and still cannot get ahead.

All the following data has been taken as of December 2018. However, clicking on this link will provide you with the most recent numbers available:

Google leads with a worldwide market share of 92.25% with over 3.5 billion searches per day

• Second on the list is Bing with 2.41% market share
• Yahoo comes in third with 2.07% market share worldwide
• Baidu, the Chinese version of Google, has 1.01% market Share worldwide
• Yandex, the Russian search engine, has 0.48% market Share worldwide

From the data, it becomes clear why you should choose Google as your primary target for choosing a platform to get your website ranked. The success of Google is the volume of consumers that use it on a daily basis. By focusing on Google, you are targeting these consumers – more than 2 billion people every single day!

The number becomes manageable considering that you are only going to consider specific niches.

Now let’s dive a little deeper and see the difference between the SEO practices used by the top three players in the web search market. We’ll look at whether the SEO strategies that you use on Google will also work for them!

1.   Google SEO vs Bing SEO

When we review the top two contenders in the web space, they do not differ by a large extent. However, it is the fine details that matter in SEO. Having different algorithms, search engines can rank your site in completely different ways. You may see, for example, the SE Ranking Rank Checker tool shows that one keyword may have a very large difference in positions in different search engines.

If you decide to optimize your website for Bing too, you should know the main differences in these search engines. Then maybe, your pages will occupy the top position in both!

They Handle Keywords Differently

Google is working on ways to understand the context behind each search query. Hence, targeted keywords may not work well on Google. However, Bing still uses targeted keywords as a ranking parameter. So, you will be a better ranking on Bing with targeted keywords when compared to Google.

Meta Keywords: Yes for Bing, No for Google!

Also, things take a different route when it comes to Meta keywords. Bing takes meta keywords into consideration when ranking websites, while Google has openly stated that they do no use meta keywords as a crucial ranking factor.

Backlinks: Quality vs Quantity

When it comes to Google, the quality of backlinks matters the most. This is why you hear the term Domain Authority being linked with Google Backlink building all the time. If you get too many backlinks from a website with low domain authority, Google may believe that you have been artificially building links. This is a sure reason for Google to knock your website down from whatever ranking it has now!

With Bing, the quantity and quality matter at the same time. Also, special preference is given to backlinks from domains like .edu, .org and .gov.

Importance of Social Media

Having a good social media portfolio is very good for Bing ranking as they have stated that Social signals do play a role in how they rank websites. However, for Google, social signals aren’t that important. The ranks are not affected by it significantly, though it’s always better to have a good social media profile.

Gauging Videos, Images, and Other Content

Google is a bit text loving when it comes to gauging websites. The more engaging and quality text you have on your website, the more Google favors your website.

With Bing, the opposite happens as the search algorithm used by Bing is capable of understanding the images and video that you have on your website. The more diverse your content, the more that Bing will favor your website.

2.   Yahoo! SEO

When we list out the SEO parameters of Yahoo, you might feel that it’s very similar to that of Bing. And you are right for thinking so! From 2011, Yahoo! has been powered by Bing. Don’t let this make you think that they are exactly the same though, because they do differ in the details. Let’s review!

Domain Age Matters a Lot on Yahoo!

If your website is new and doesn’t show up on Yahoo even when you have applied SEO to it, don’t worry. Yahoo does not rank new websites immediately. Yahoo prefers a website with a sizable domain age because they relate it with authenticity. So keep on improving your website. In time you will have your place in the first search engine.

Google is more vested in the content on the page rather than the age of the website. Hence you can see results better on Google than on Yahoo for new websites!

Keyword Usage

Like Bing, Yahoo prefers targeted keywords for better ranking. This means that the SEO practices that you do to increase your Bing ranking will also have a positive effect on Yahoo!

As we discussed, Google considers targeted keywords as a not so important ranking factor. Content and context (the intent of the user) matter more than keywords when it comes to Google.

Meta Keyword importance

Yahoo!gives importance to your Metadata and the Meta keywords placed in it. You see how important it is as they have mentioned directly it in the Yahoo! help page for getting better ranks.

Google, on the other hand, doesn’t require you to use meta keywords in your metadata. The effects are insignificant, although too much can get your website undesirable results in ranking.

Note: it is a good practice to follow the points we have mentioned for Bing SEO to get better rankings on Yahoo, since they both use the same underlying technology.

3.   Baidu SEO

Baidu can be defined as the Chinese version of Google since Google and all its services are banned in China. Like Google, Baidu has also invested itself in creating better search engine results for their users as well as branching out to developing additional technology like AI. But do they also use the same SEO ranking parameters? Let’s review!

Time Taken to Get Listed

If you have made a new website, the time taken for each platform to add your website to their directory is different. For Google, the addition process is much quicker when compared to Baidu. This is mainly due to the fact the Baidu’s algorithm scrutinizes a website in more detail when compared with Google. Also, the website is checked to see whether it follows the content rules of China.

SEO Time Delay

Even though it will take your website more time to get listed on Baidu, it is much faster in recognizing SEO changes. So if you have done SEO reworks on your website, the changes will take effect on Baidu quicker than Google. This is great news for new websites on Baidu. They can get exposure more readily than Google, where it’s very hard to rank your website when you are starting out, no matter the SEO quality.

Using Backlinks

Baidu follows Bing and Yahoo on this one as it looks for quality as well as the number of backlinks. If you have more backlinks, you are more likely to rank on Baidu when compared to Google. With Google, the number of backlinks matters less and their quality is measured instead.

Type of Content

As we discussed, Google primarily focuses on the quality of the text within a website. If your content is engaging, interesting and original, you will have a better chance of ranking high on Google. However, with Baidu, the content is reviewed quite differently. Baidu gives importance to videos, pictures, music and other leisure content. So the more vibrant and dynamic your page is, the better it will rank.

Bottom Line

Understanding the way search engine work is the first step towards getting your page ranked on it. There is no doubt that Google dominates the web search market with a very impressive lead. This is why you should make sure that your website is in line with Google’s ranking guidelines.

Whatever metrics these search engines use, one thing is clear – quality content always wins! So make sure what you create instills value to the reader or audience. SEO is going to get more diverse in 2019!

 

 

You may also want to read: Three DIY SEO Tools for Your Content Marketing Strategy

The Future of Augmented Reality With Search Engine Optimization

How to Optimize Your Website for Voice Searches

Notable external reading: https://www.websitesthatsell.com.au/seo/

My name is Diana and I’m a digital marketing specialist. I’ve been blogging for several years. My writing expertise spans across online marketing, SEO, social media, and blogging. Besides, I do outreach marketing, product reviews, and online marketing guides. You can connect with me on LinkedIn here or tweet me @diana__ford

 

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