Google drops under 90 per cent share of UK Search

October proved to be scary month not just for the victims of trick or treaters but also for Google’s share of the UK search market, according to the latest figures produced by Experian Hitwise.

The latest search stats show that 89.33 per cent of all UK internet searches were conducted on Google Sites. This is the first time in the last five years that Google has dropped below a 90 per cent market share of UK search.

The news is relevant to UK ecommerce businesses and people who sell online as it shows that Google’s vice-like grip on the search landscape could be weakening, if only by tiny margins as things stand.

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As Google’s market share dropped it was a positive month for Microsoft, Yahoo!, Ask and the other search engines monitored by Experian Hitwise.

Microsoft Sites, led by the bing search engine increased market share by 0.72 per cent up to 4.71 per cent of all searches. This was a 2012 peak for Microsoft which was also ahead by 0.86 per cent year-on-year. If the trend continues it could mean bing advertising will become more of a priority for paid-search portfolios.

“October saw the launch of Windows 8 with bing set as the default search engine which may have gone some way to increasing Microsoft’s market share,” said a Hitwise spokesperson.

“Online searches for Windows 8 increased by 120% throughout October showing the increased online interest for Microsoft’s new operating system. As search continues to diversify however, the market is likely to continue to shift and change.”

Google still maintains a huge competitive edge over the other search engines in the UK market. There are 18 times more searches conducted on Google sites than on all the other search engines combined. However, this is encouraging news for Microsoft as bing once again starts to gain some momentum and traction in the UK search market.