Google remains the top search engine with a significant market share of more than 89%. This means that 89% of all searches take place on Google.
And if this is the case, why do marketers have to think about alternative search engines?
I think there are two main reasons.
First, the search changes. In the following I share data on the decline in Google search processes and the increase in alternative search engines, including large language models (LLMS) such as chatt and confusion as well as social media channels such as Reddit.
Second, different search engines bring different things to different users. It is helpful to know who your audience is before you choose your top search engine, because if you know who you are addressing, you may find out where you can complete your search so that you can meet you there.
If I aimed at a sustainably driven audience, I could turn to a green search engine like ecosia. If I wanted to address men, I could concentrate on Reddit ever since The majority of users (59.80%) is male. The selection of the top search engine is less about understanding the quantity of search queries and more about quality and public relevance for your brand.
In this article I will cover the top search engines based on the numbers for the market share of Google. Then I will examine alternative search engines, including the options I recommend from AI and who can use everyone.
Before we get into the top search engines, we look at the data.
Table of contents
The data behind top search engines
I have worked in SEO and marketing for about a decade, and during my time Google achieved a market share of over 93%.
An amazing monopoly.
In October 2024 something is shifted and the market share of Google has been sank under 90%for the first time since 2015.
What has changed? Search behavior.
Instead of going to Google from seekers to meet your search queries, turn to alternative search forms. Of course, alternative search engines such as Bing record part of the market share. In 2016, Bing had a total share of 2.79%and since January 2025 its share to 3.96%.
Search engines that are geared into privacy, such as Duckduckgo, have gained popularity. While the search in this special search engine is low, Duckduckgo has recorded up to 0.86% of the market share. This is part of the soil that has lost Google.
And what is more?
Large voice models (LLMS) How Chatgpt have changed the search behavior, with more people fulfilling their inquiries directly within the AI.
It is no coincidence that Google’s drops matched the publication of Chatgpt in November 2022.
Oh, and let’s not forget that the social media search has been a “threat” for Google for many years. Drift Kings Medias youngest Social trend report revealed some insights into the development of search behavior and social media.
The report shares with:
- 69% of the marketers agree that in 2025 more purchases will take place directly on social media platforms than on brand website or marketplaces of third-party providers.
- Over 40% of the millennials and genes have bought products directly on social media in the past three months.
- 25% of general consumers have bought products directly from social media in the past three months.
I use quotes when I say “threat” because I don’t really see these shifts as a threat, but as an evolution – and an exciting one.
While the search decreases from Google (a little), it shouldn’t change for marketers who concentrate on meeting potential buyers where they are, wherever that may be!
What is important for modern marketing and the future of SEO is that we expand our search, identify the right search engines to concentrate our efforts, and to expand the “search engines” for our potential buyers and audience who no longer only use conventional searches.
For example, if you sell a product, you may want to concentrate more on social media if your target audience is millennial or gen z, since 40% of you make purchases directly on social media compared to 25% of general consumers.
While Google has priority for most companies, since most search queries only pursue the volume here in effective search marketing. It’s about understanding your audience and choosing the channels that best match your business and marketing goals.
You could be surprised which different search engines offer different target groups. In the following I sketched the six top search engines based on the data, but no longer stop after the top six, as they may be surprised what other search engines can offer their audience and thus their brand.
For example, sustainably focused brands may not want to ignore the ecosia, as this is considered the most environmentally friendly search engine. If your audience is sustainably aligned, it may only be part of the 0.1% of search queries with ecosia.
Do not release 0.1% as insignificant because it still means around 18.43 million search processes per day. And these are many people who share the same values as they share.
Where do AI search, chatt and social media come in all of this?
Strictly speaking, Chatgpt and other forms of KI search are not official search engines. They are voice models.
Search engines Indicate the web and send back to pages.
Ai, like chatt, Generates human -like answers based on patterns in the data on which they were trained and (sometimes) real -time information from the web.
Although no search engine, these platforms can:
- Answer questions.
- Explain concepts.
- Create creative content.
- Support with problem solving.
Regardless of whether these alternative search platforms are viewed as search engines or not, is irrelevant because people use them like search engines and as marketers my customers are wherever the search takes place.
I didn’t want to be too lost what a search engine is, but I wanted this article to be clear. In the following I listed the six official search engines in the section of the best search engines. There is another section, “other search engines” in which I have recorded official search engines alongside AI search and social media.
Top search engines
At the time of writing this article, the six top search engines are:
- Google (89.54%)
- Microsoft Bing (3.95%)
- Yandex (2.45%)
- Yahoo! (1.37%)
- Duckduckgo (0.86%)
- Baidu (0.73%)
The number in brackets is the percentage market share at the time of writing.
1. Google
Let’s start with the heavy bat. Google dominates the search worldwide and there are many reasons for success:
- Superior search algorithm This combines viewfinder with the content you need.
- User -friendly interface This is minimalistic, fast -charging and easy to use.
- Trust. The Google Drive brand has scaled into various digital experiences, including e -mail, maps and business operations.
User trust Google. It is no longer just a brand; “Google” is a verb that is recognized by the Oxford Dictionary, and it means “search for information about (someone or something) on the Internet”.
Although the search develops, it remains the logical starting point for marketing, the execution of paid marketing campaigns and the development of organic traffic strategies.
Although the future of the search is uncertain regardless of the development of Openai, Search Bots or Social Media search, the Google ecosystem remains a critical component of my work.
A word of warning when it comes to optimizing Google: the algorithm meets the needs of the users directly on Google, so that you do not have to click on the links. With the latest search engines page (SERP) function (SURP), AI overviews, users can search for Google and receive their answers directly within the SERP.
Here is an example:
Functions such as this and the popularity of Google may make it difficult for you to record as many website data traffic as desired.
Pro tip: Keep your SEO strategy on searches that people have to click on a website to get more information. In the end to the middle of the funnel, the best chance of getting a click. Read this article that I wrote on buyer journey keywords to get more information. It contains more detailed information on buyer trips and contains a step-by-step guide for carrying out keyword research.
Who uses Google: Let’s be real for a second. I know you know, and everyone knows the size of the Google market share and the treasure troop of the data he has. Everyone uses it, so it is an inevitable need to concentrate on Google SEO.
Why I like Google: As a viewfinder, I love Google for the excellent algorithm and its user -friendly surface. As SEO I know that Google is where I am have be because everyone else is. In addition, the ranking on Google is a decisive component for the acquisition of quotes within the AI search.
2. Microsoft Bing
Microsoft Bing has long been the second most popular search engine, which is currently holding a market share of 3.95% worldwide.
This engine also supplies Yahoo!, The fourth largest search engine.
Bing’s search pages are similar to Google. There are the same categories and a similar white background with blue links and green URLs.
Bing offers Microsoft RewardsA program that gives you points when looking for or shopping on the engine. You can redeem these points for gift cards, non -profit donations and much more.
Who uses Bing: According to WordstreamBing is mainly used by experts who are looking for work computers. The users are also a bit older, with an average age of 45 years.
In one of the agencies in which I worked, we had a customer who aimed at an older audience. For this customer we focused on Bing SEO on Google because we knew that the search for Bing would rather come from the target group.
Why I like Bing: I guess how well integrated Microsoft’s Ki, co-pilotIs. It summarizes search results for you. However – and this is for marketers and SEOs that rely on organic traffic, but is a fairly important “but” – the direct links are more difficult to find for users. In addition, the first link it made available was on a different target page than the link linked above.
Best for: If you want AI search functions and only need summaries, this is a good option. Copilot is so far ahead that she is not even funny. Google also had its data protection controversy, while Microsoft has a much clearer track record in this regard.
3. Yandex
In some local markets, smaller search engines compete with Google.
The Russian search engine Yandex has a share of around 2.45% in the global search engine market, but in its home country this proportion increases to almost 63%. Google holds number two.
When I used Yandex, it was difficult for me to navigate. They also have a number of other services, none of which are particularly relevant in the anglosphora. My experience with Yandex makes sense, and when you consider that I am not the usual demographic population, it doesn’t matter how I find it. It is important who uses it, and if you want to face you, you may want to concentrate on optimizing Yandex.
Like Google, Yandex takes into account whether a user’s query has a local intention and indicates region -dependent results. To take this into account, you have to go to the webmaster tools from Yandex and set a site region.
It is not advertised anywhere in his search engine, but the Corporate website from Yandex notes that AI technologies are delivered to all products, including the search.
Who uses Yandex: If you want to do business worldwide and want to achieve Russian customers, you would like to be on Yandex. Note something: In addition to its search results, Yandex shows many quality indicators or badges. One of the best known is the Site Quality Index (SQI), which indicates how useful your website is for users.
Why I like Yandex: I didn’t expect it, but Yandex has by far the best image search function. It is considerably more precise and can even manage paraphrase and lengthy descriptions.
4. Yahoo!
The news-ordered page is not the slimest search engine surface, but Yahoo is still one of the most popular alternatives for Google. In fact, Yahoo holds over 1.37% of the global market share for search engines.
Yahoo is operated by Microsoft Bing, so the search results are similar. The search results page contains a minimalist, text -related interface. However, it is still an important search engine with over 300 million monthly users.
What I do for Yahoo!: I have very good memories of Yahoo! Seek. It was The Search engine back. Yahoo! was founded in January 1994, four years before Google was founded. When I was young, I had all my search questions in Yahoo! For this reason the Yahoo! The interface always feels nostalgic.
Who uses Yahoo! SimilarSearchers in the United States send the most traffic to Yahoo!, Brazil, India and Taiwan. The majority of seekers aged 25 to 34. An important point in relation to the Microsoft search, including Bing, is that the language search for a Microsoft search tools operated by Alexa uses. If the language search is priority for you, concentrate on Yahoo and Bing.
5. Duckduckgo
If you make yourself uneasy about targeted ads or don’t want your search data to be saved, you should try Duckduckgo, which appeals to yourself as “the search engine that you do not follow”.
This search engine does not collect or save any information so that you can search for shoes without being bombarded by subsequent ads. It is worth noting that there are still advertisements on Duckduckgo – just not personalized.
Duckduckgo has a clean surface that makes navigation easier. With more than 100 million daily search queries In 2024 it slowly gains steam on the market, especially since users are more concerned about privacy.
What I like about Duckduckgo: As a marketer, I love data. As a consumer, I don’t like my data that is recorded. Personally, Duckduckgo is a great solution if I want to browse in peace.
Who uses Duckduckgo: In view of the fact that there is no tracking data, we do not know. However, it is likely to assume that Duckduckgo users protect their data. If you sell a product like a VPN, advertising on Duckduckgo can be a suitable solution.
6. Baidu
Baidu is China’s largest search engine and captures 50.71% of the Chinese search engine market. According to Baidu, Bing (24.22%), Haosoi (17.04%) and Yandex (4.26%) are available.
The search engine is in mandarin (if your duolingo game is not strong, you may have problems as an English speaker). Otherwise, Baidu is similar to Google with a white background, blue links and green urls. Like Google, Baidu is aimed at adding more extensive functions to the SERPs.
If you want to address the Asian market, Baidu is a good option to take into account.
What I like about Baidu: As an English speaker, Baidu is a challenge. A few years ago I drove all over China for three months and could only access Baidu. Google was only available with a VPN. Baidu Maps was definitely more useful than Google Maps in China.
Baidu’s search engines censor certain images and blocks pro-democracy website. If you compare the search results, you will find a more comprehensive list of results on Google.
Pro tip: If you speak Mandarin, carry out cultural research or look from a different news perspective, Baidu will not disappoint. But when they come from the West, the censorship and the lack of “openness” will be a bit blatant at first.
Who uses Baidu: The Chinese market is Baidu’s largest user, although they could be surprised that younger people who are looking for a more western influence turn to Google. In Chengdu I met a group of young ukulele enthusiasts, and everything they knew came from YouTube. Younger generations find problems to access information.
Do you need support for learning SEO? Attempt Drift Kings Medias complete SEO starter package. You get an overview of everything you need to navigate in the turbulent world of search engines.
Other search engines
I have summarized three other “search engines”, including chatt and confusion, two AI tools with which people meet questions.
7. Ecosia
Ecosia is “the search engine that plants trees”. For every search that a user with ECOSIA (regardless of whether on the website or its free browser extension), Ecosia will provide part of its profits on plants of trees in endangered areas.
So far, Ecosia has planted over 230 million trees and devoted over 90 million euros to climate measures.
Note to marketer: The sponsored spots of Ecosia almost slide their content under the fold. I love it every now and then. It feels really good to contribute to a good cause.
Ecosia is most popular in its home country in Germany, where it has a market share of 1.09% and the sixth most popular search engine in the country is. Like Yahoo, Ecosia runs on Microsoft Bing.
Pro tip: Are you a PPC expert who lives or aims in Germany? If so, this is the only possible reason why you may want to use ecosia.
Who uses Ecosia: If you consider that Ecosia is a sustainable search engine, it is likely that those who use them are aware of the environment. If this is your audience or your company is committed to sustainable marketing, you may want to concentrate on ecosia.
8. Chatt
As already mentioned, Chatgpt is not a search engine itself. However, AI search platforms cannot be ignored in discussions about the top search engines.
Why?
Because people use LLMs as a search engine, and this happens considerably.
The speed with which Chatgpt achieved search market share was unprecedented and compared to Bing, which was Battle For their 2-4% market share over the years, the increase in chatgpt was incredible. Chatgpt had one million users within five days. In comparison, Instagram took two and a half months to reach the same milestone, and Netflix needed three and a half years to meet one million users.
I am aware that I can keep the search and LLM conversation in balance. So quickly check how many people are looking for compared to AI tools:
Google is used significant More than chatt and confusion. Whatever you do, do not lose your traffic by concentrating too much on AI search and forgetting the traditional search.
What I like about chatt: I’ve used Chatgpt for years and I think I use it every day, just like Google. I like how Chatgpt can give answers to longer and more complex search queries.
Who uses chatt: After exploding topicsThe majority of the chatt seekers are male (64.32%) from the USA (14.78%), and more than 45%of Chatgpt users are under 25 years.
9. Confusion Ai
Confusion caused a sensation last year. It has a design similar to other AI search engines, with source connections over a longer answer in slightly over -frozen ballpoints. It also contains quotes that show the source when they float about them – important to ensure that they do not fall victim to misinformation.
If you are interested in the AI search, take a look at this article: The best AI search engines that contain an overview of every search engine and what it is good. Overall, confusion was best.
An important restriction: Those who use chatt and confusion do not necessarily look for their products or services. Those under the age of 25 could study and search for a generative AI. The statistics are not completely conclusive when searching.
My approach to AI and SEO is that we are considering all AI tools and are mentioned in them. The platform has recorded unprecedented growth, and that’s it very Helpful for the search. Marketers are not allowed to sleep on AI.
Emerging search engine trends
Social media search
The youngest Drift Kings Media research showed that:
- Other people turn to social media for the search.
- The social search in 2025 will be an important brand canal. 84% of the marketers agree that consumers will search for brands on social media this year.
Emarketer shares The:
- Only 64% of the gene -zers use search engines compared to 94% of baby boomers.
- 81% of the gene Z and Millennials prefer social media to traditional searches.
If gen z or millennials are your audience, you have to think about traditional search engines.
After all, 24% of the people in the USA first turn to social media. In accordance with the above statistics, Z and Millennial publicces are most likely to turn to social media.
All important social media platforms have a search bar. For this article, however, I add two platforms, TikTok and YouTube, since these two search tools apparently had the most important effects on the market.
10. Tiktok
A few years ago, the risk of looking for Tikok had a significant impact on the narrative about SEO and its future. Everyone discussed SEO and TIKTOK and discussed whether the then new social media platform Google would replace Google as a primary search engine.
In my eyes, the story was a bit exaggerated, and the AI screenshot shared this story about Spiegel. Search engines like Duckduckgo are actually more impressive for Google, but at that time Tikkok was more exciting.
Now that the Tikkok has settled a little against Google Narrative, we can see things more clearly. We know that people use Tiktok to search. Consumers in the USA use TikKok as a search engine, but only 41%compared to 50%that do not.
What I like about Tikkok: I was a big fan of Tikkok. A few years ago I created an account and shot videos there. I reached 2,000 supporters relatively quickly. I found the platform fun and easy to use, but not as committed as I would like it to be. It was easy to get videos in front of people and show them in the SEO search results.
Who uses Tikok as a search engine: As cited above, according to EMARKETER younger generations such as genes Zers and Millennials Tiktok will be used for the search.
11. YouTube
YouTube has long been the second most common website in the world that is second after Google. Google has YouTube. So if you are a video market, uploading videos on YouTube should be a child’s play. While Google rates other video content such as TikTok, YouTube videos in the SERP get significantly more space.
YouTube is an independent search engine and for years. People go straight to the website to search within the search bar:
The platform has 3.5 billion searches daily.
What I like about YouTube: I like that I turn to it when I need a demonstration. Instructions for videos are a good example. YouTube has a decent interface and it is easy to use. The algorithm is excellent and I always find what I want. As a marketer, I think that YouTube is a power package for SEO. An optimized video has a high chance of ranking both on Google and on YouTube.
Who uses YouTube: YouTube has a wide user base. The majority are male (54%) and 25 to 44 years (39.4%).
12. Reddit
You may have noticed more Subreddit answers that are displayed in response to your questions on Google. This is because Reddit is another social platform that fights as an independent as a search engine.
A current Study by Adobe Express found some surprising results. Almost two out of three Americans use Reddit as a search engine at least once a week. 95% of users find the results helpful and 92% you will find trustworthy – even more trustworthy than Google!
Many people cite the authentic reviews and community-based discussions as the reason for their trust in Reddit. Although brands are present on Reddit and can even advertise, this is not the point of the platform, and people who obviously shimmer (sell or promote their products) are coordinated and booed from the subreddit.
What I like about Reddit: Like most people, as a user, I appreciate the uncooked, unfiltered reviews for products that I want to buy. I like to filter the option, my search for communities, contributions, people, comments or media. As a marketer, I can create contributions with and react to it Keywords I want to be found on Reddit. And if my contribution is helpful and relevant enough, it can be displayed in a Google serp.
Who uses Reddit: Appreciated 1.1 billion monthly users of Reddits are 61% male and the majority between 18 and 29 years. If your brand naturally fits into the topic of a subreddit, I think it is worthwhile to appear there – as long as you do this in an authentic way that follows the community rules.
Google updates
Google continuously works to prioritize high-quality content and at the same time expand its AI functions. AI overviews have recently been expanded With the introduction of AI mode. These changes keep AI on the front and in the center of the search and will probably encourage users to continue using them and to build trust in AI functions. All of the signs indicate that AI is a growing trend in the search, and therefore it will probably remain a search engine for many.
Holistic search
It is important to take the search into account holistically. We no longer just optimize a platform. We have to consider several platforms. Studies show that people use several platforms for the search.
According to Statista, 66% of adults in the USA use search engines And Social media for carrying out search processes.
Which search engine should you concentrate on?
The research of alternative search engines has completely changed my view of the SEO and content strategy. There is a whole world beyond Google, and experienced marketers can find real opportunities by diversifying their approach.
I personally found AI-powered search engines fascinating and I will keep an eye on how platforms such as confusion, brave and you.com develop. Search engines like Yandex and Baidu remind me of the importance of adaptation strategies for various markets.
If you concentrate your efforts, you ultimately depend on your customer profiles. Hopefully some broad demographic and user statistics have been described in this article, but remember that this data is general and you can carry out your own research to determine which search engine brings the highest quality traffic to your website.
Regardless of whether it is the case through AI-controlled search, data protection platforms or niche engines, to understand how people are looking for in 2025 (and beyond) for marketers like us.
This article was originally published in September 2018 and updated for completeness.