Bing Passes Yahoo…. Still Miles Behind Google

Here’s the good news if you’re a Bing fan. You’re #2 according to Statcounter (via IT Pro):

StatCounter said it took just days for Microsoft’s recently revamped search to overtake it’s rival – and former acquisition target – Yahoo, with Bing taking 16.28 per cent of the US market to Yahoo’s 10.22 per cent by the end of last week. Google still holds 71.47 per cent.

As of last week, globally Bing held 5.62 per cent of the market, just pipping Yahoo at 5.13 per cent. Both are miles behind Google’s 87.62 per cent, however.

So I guess spending at least $80 million does buy you market share. Also, given the circus that was Microsoft’s attempt to buy Yahoo, it must make Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer feel really good.  However, there are questions about Bing’s ability to stay at #2:

“It remains to be seen if Bing falls away after the initial novelty and promotion but at first sight it looks like Microsoft is on to a winner,” said Aodhan Cullen, chief executive of StatCounter, in a statement on the site’s blog.

Indeed, today Bing appears to have dropped back down to MSN’s usual 2.5 per cent market share.

Microsoft better get on the ball, or face having that money wasted. That of course assumes that people are willing to abandon Google.

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