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A World Beyond Google? Does it Exist?

If you’re interested in building a niche site or getting your web content ranked highly, it’s tempting to focus solely on the granddaddy of search engines. Though Google does command an immense proportion of search traffic, it is not the only player at the table. Competitors to Google like Bing and Yahoo each represent around 15% of web searches. Believe it or not, some people are even still using AOL.

First, Get Your House in Order

Your first priority should be creating outstanding content. Information that entertains and informs your audience supersedes any marketing efforts you undertake. Even if you successfully manage to attract visitors to your site, if they find something unimpressive, they probably won’t give you a second chance. Create captivating content with excellent writing, easy site navigation, wit and personality, and don’t forget to add elements of video and audio for flair and style. The search engines will react to you because you’re offering value to the consumers.

Bing

You should never count out Microsoft when it comes to competing in the virtual marketplace. Though Bing constitutes only 15% of searches compared to Google’s massive 65%, that relatively small percentage translates into huge numbers of actual people seeking information. Who is using Bing? Most likely Internet Explorer and Hotmail users who have it appear as their default engine. If you’re already receiving lots of traffic from Internet Explorer users, it’s definitely time to reach out to their search engine of choice.

Yahoo

Yahoo used to be tremendously popular and has slowly lost its status over time. In fact, Yahoo now uses Bing’s search results as its own, adding an additional 13% of search volume. This means your marketing efforts with Bing will hopefully be doubly rewarded.

Tips

It can be helpful to consider demographics when planning SEO for Bing versus Google. Bing users tend to be older in age and more likely to have children or even grandchildren. Additionally, Bing offers some advantages over Google with its helpful filters and relevant related search suggestions, particularly when it comes to shopping. These can be of tremendous value when selecting keywords for your SEO campaign. Bing is also on the forefront of social media integration and uses plenty of data from Facebook and Twitter to give life to its searches.

Don’t Give the Top Dog Your Entire Pie

Most of your SEO efforts should go towards Google because of its marketplace dominance. Nonetheless, think of your marketing strategy like a pie. Give a large portion of your pie to those who are hungriest, but reserve a couple slices for those with smaller appetites as well.

Optimizing your site or content for Google will give you a head start on focusing your efforts on the other search engines. You’re already familiar with keyword research, link-building and site accessibility. You simply need to take what you’ve learned and reapply it to reap new rewards.

Take off Your Blinders

Besides making sure your website operates smoothly with Bing as well as Google, you can focus an entire marketing campaign solely on Bing and be the big fish in a small pond. Maybe you’ve got an idea for a niche website but the keyword competition is extremely fierce on Google. Try the same keywords or some variations on Bing or Yahoo, and you may be surprised to find the field is wide open. You may find that a poorly ranked site on Google is able to compete easily in the world of Bing.

Take some of your eggs out of Google’s basket and toss them into the laps of Bing’s growing user base. As an entrepreneur, you should be exploring all avenues of possibility. Do you have a Bing success story or any tips to share with readers about the differences between Google and Bing? Let us know with a comment.

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