We are all stuck. Stuck in a cycle of targeting the same people. Over and over again. It’s a given, and we have fallen flat on our faces with this as well, when it comes to search campaigns, going straight to Google searching for our much desired results. But, is that where we are going wrong in the first place? Listen, we love Google, we have some great connections over there, and their platform is far superior, in our opinion compared to others, especially when it comes to search volume. Google has the most users out of all search result tools, with a whopping 8.5 billion searches daily and 2 trillion global searches. However, their dominance on the advertising market is definitely something overlooked in the marketing space. If we are being honest, without the introduction of ChatGPT and the whole ‘AI Search Engines’, this blog wouldn’t be happening.
The Allure Of Google Ads
Now, looking at those numbers you would think that Google is a no brainer right? And to be honest it is. A complete search advertising strategy should always include the Google ads platform, businesses know that at least a few long tail keywords, no matter what the industry will be available to advertise on at some point, even if it is at 100 people (we don’t recommend this by the way). It’s also super clear the dominance that Google has on the market. Not trying to spoil later in this episode of The Atlas MKT Magazine, but whenever you are searching something up you tend to say ‘Google it’ you never say ‘Oh Bing that for me will ya?’. That kind of dominance is SO rare in today’s age of competition. To have that coverage of every single person across the world, outside of a few countries where it’s restricted is something no other business has managed to do. The closest being Apple, with the iPhone maybe?
The Rest Of The Pack
But, there are a few looking to compete, and the ones that you will know are a mixture of stalwarts and some awesome companies that are really changing the search engine game. Ecosia for example, that uses the money from advertisers like us, to plant trees. Here are the 5 that we will be looking into today;
Bing
Yahoo!
Ecosia
DuckDuckGo
Baidu (China’s Search Engine)
We felt like there is a good mix here, to show you exactly where you need to be targeting to take your search ads to the next level.
Microsoft Bing
3.23% of all searches are made on Bing. Not that impressive right? But in fact, there is an audience, technically more affluent on Bing. You have to think, the stock setting for all Windows devices are Bing, so you have that, and also, age wise, the average age for a Bing user is 40+, so again, if you are targeting the older demographic, then this is also something to think about. But here is the reason it gets number one on our list. The average Bing shopper spends 35% more when shopping online than Google user’s do. This is hugely down to over a third of Bing’s audience earning over US$100k per year. If you take your current Google ads, and then increase your revenue by 35% we like to think that would be a considerable impact on your overall ROAS. We aren’t saying you are going to hit those results, but it gives you an idea of what you are missing out on, that’s for sure!
Yahoo!
Definitely one for the editorials, news outlets & blogs out there. If your way of selling is through articles, Yahoo is the one for you, with their main thing being news, this is what they like to promote. Yahoo! is powered by Microsoft, so the search results are similar. Due to this, you run Yahoo! Ads through Microsoft Bing’s advertising interface. But, because of the text-heavy interface, you do attract a different kind of audience. And that audience ended up generating over 4 billion monthly users in 2023. This was a must in our list.
Commercial Break
Quick commercial break! If you are looking to start search engine ads for your business, we would LOVE to chat with you. Book in a call using this link. It will take you to Calendly, where you can chat with our founder Thomas, completely free, no obligation call to chat marketing! Simply answer the questions on the page, and pick the time that’s best for you. We really looking forward to talking with you! Again, book a call here.
Ecosia
The search engine that plants trees. Definitely one to go to if you are a more environmentally conscious brand! We have seen eco-friendly specific brands that we have worked with in the past do unbelievably well on this platform. For every search a user makes with Ecosia, the company will allocate part of its profits to plant trees in vulnerable areas around the globe - not a bad mission statement, if we do say so ourselves. Although their platform is fantastic, and the mission statement is great, businesses should be aware that your ads are shown below the fold (which basically means you have to scroll to see your ads), this has historically reduced the likelihood of getting your ads seen. Again, Ecosia runs through Microsoft ads, so what you can do is select Ecosia as a network partner you want to use!
DuckDuckGo
When you saw this platform on the list, we know a huge subsection rolled your eyes and said - but these guys are known for not doing advertising at all. And you would be right (slightly). DuckDuckGo doesn’t do personalised ads, so you can’t target someone based specifically on what they like/their interests, but for us, the lack of competition on this platform is what makes it one to be reconned with. Personalisation and high targeting is all the rage in 2024, and a platform without that will deter people from using it. But, as users are caring more and more about privacy, DuckDuckGo is becoming more popular, with over 4.5 billion searches monthly last year. Could this be the next search engine advertising platform for you?
Baidu
Looking at expanding your search reach? Is China your answer? Now granted, this is a little rogue we guess you could say, but if you are looking to expand internationally, there are certain regions that don’t use Google. China being on of them, so immediately, you completely neglect 1.4 BILLION people if you solely use Google search as your primary marketing tool. Baidu captures 52% of China’s search market, and is completely in Mandarin, so this may put you off, but with the correct strategy & translations, it’s definitely something we would potentially add to a larger client trying to achieve that global ‘domination’. The negative with this however is the search engine does censor certain images and blocks pro-democracy websites. So again, something to think about when promoting your products. We are not saying you have to use this platform, but, if you do have a spare budget, definitely something to consider.
The Atlas Bonus
Come on, you didn’t think that’s all we are giving you today? No, as part of our bonus section, we wanted to mention social searches. TikTok, YouTube & Instagram aren’t search engines, and don’t (usually) appear in search listings for questions and answers, however, think about how often you will search up how to do something on YouTube. I know for us as a company, our YouTube process over the next 6-12 months is going to be mainly focused on the ‘How-to’. We can’t let competitors get one up on us by having evergreen content on these platforms, that is searched for daily. According to research performed by Hubsopot, 42% of people turn to social media to search for information. That’s more than any other search engine on this list, aside from Google of course.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it's essential to consider alternative traffic opportunities besides Google when creating an SEO strategy. By diversifying your sources, you’re more likely to capture the first page on SERPs, and you’re in a better position to find a truly ideal target audience for your business, and even your specific products. Thank you for reading today’s edition of the Atlas MKT Magazine. If you are looking for marketing help with SEO, Advertising, Email Marketing or Social Media Management, we are the team for you, with over $35m in sales generated for our clients, along with working with the likes of Johnson & Johnson, Pre London and MEEET. Contact us here for more information, see you next week.
Comments