Search Engine Trends: What You Need to Know

With technology ever-evolving, it’s more important than ever for marketing managers to stay on top of the latest trends in search behaviour. After all, what good is a marketing campaign if your target audience can’t find you? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some different search engines out there and what trends in search behaviour you need to be aware of.

Different Search Engines Out There

Google isn’t the only game in town when it comes to search engines. In fact, depending on where you are in the world, you might be using a different search engine altogether. For example, in China, Baidu is the most popular search engine, while in Russia, Yandex holds that distinction. If you’re marketing to a global audience, it’s important to be aware of the different search engines that are popular in different parts of the world. Search behaviour varies quite dramatically as well. Other examples include;

DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is a search engine that debuted in 2008 with the intent of not tracking user data for ads, differentiating it from rivals. The company has experienced growth since its creation and now processes 3 billion searches each month. According to recent statistics, DuckDuckGo holds 0.6% of the global search engine market share and 2.52% in the United States as of August 2021.

Ecosia

Its main selling point is its environmental goal. Ecosia uses its advertising revenue to finance global climate action and has already planted more than 150 million trees around the world. As of September 2021, it had a 0.11 per cent worldwide search engine market share, including a 1.03 per cent share in Germany, where it was founded.

Brave Search

Brave Search uses its own ranking algorithm, unlike DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. It’s search engine results page (SERP) feature allows users to personalise their organic results by adding filters such as location or time range. Users may also engage in discussions about their queries on forums like Reddit and StackExchange through the new Discussions search engine results page (SERP) function.

Yep

Yep is a search engine in beta created by Ahrefs, an SEO tool company that pledged an initial $60 million investment in June 2022. Similar to other search engines vying for users opposite of Google and Bing, Yep prioritises user privacy.

Apple

Finally, while Apple has yet to launch its own search engine, there have been several reports in recent years that the company is working on one. Apple already has a number of search entry points integrated into its operating system, including as Siri, Spotlight, Camera, Shazam, and more.

Trends in Search Behavior

One of the biggest trends in search behavior that marketing managers need to be aware of is the move away from desktop computers to mobile devices. More and more people are using their phones and tablets to search for information online, so it’s important to make sure your website is optimised for mobile devices.

Additionally, with the rise of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, people are increasingly using these platforms as a way to find information about local businesses. If you want to reach this audience, you need to make sure you have a presence on these platforms. There are also different types of search techniques emerging such as visual search, voice search and audio search. In more detail :

Visual Search

People use an image to search for something instead of using keywords. This is often done through a search engine’s image search function or by taking a photo of an object with a mobile phone and using image recognition software to find out more about it.

The average person can type 36 words per minute into a search bar on their phone. In contrast, the human brain can identify images seen in as little as 13 milliseconds. This provides a clear reason why there is huge room for growth in the visual search area.

There are several key factors that will lead to success in visual search:

– Managing your feed.

– Optimising images.

– Using structured markup.

– Creating high quality and unique content.

Voice Search- Search Behaviour

People use speech recognition software to search for something instead of typing keywords into a search engine. This is often done with virtual assistants such as Siri, Cortana and Alexa.

  • For marketing managers, the most effective strategies using voice research are actually quite straightforward:  Assess user search behaviour and habits. Create content that responds to user questions specifically. Make sure technical code and visual elements like photos are optimised for devices without a display.

Audio Search- Search Behaviour

People use audio files to search for something instead of using keywords. This is often done through a search engine’s audio search function or by speaking into a mobile phone.

Shazam, for example, is an engine that allows you to identify songs. Apple bought it for about $400 million in 2018. Shazam began as a text message service in the United Kingdom 20 years ago and now has 225 million monthly users worldwide. The music business is one of the app’s main commercial applications, such as the recently released concert discover feature.

As you can see, there are a lot of different trends in search behavior that marketing managers need to be aware of. By staying on top of these trends, you can make sure your marketing campaigns are as effective as possible.

Online shopping and e-commerce search engines

The trend of online shopping and e-commerce search engines is growing at a rapid pace. This is due to the convenience and ease of use that they offer users. Additionally, with the increased usage of mobile devices, people are now able to search for products and services while on the go. This has resulted in a need for businesses to have a mobile-friendly website that is easy to use. In order to stay ahead of the competition, it is important to make sure your website is optimised for search engines and offers a good user experience.

Some tips for optimising your e-commerce website for search engines include:

Use;

–  Relevant and keyword-rich titles and descriptions for your products

–  High-quality product images

–  Easy-to-navigate categories and subcategories

–  Search engine-friendly URLs

– Customer reviews and ratings

Some of the best e-commerce search engines include :

Google Shopping

Amazon

eBay

Alibaba

Etsy

As a marketing manager, it’s important to stay on top of the latest trends in search behaviour. Different search engines are popular in different parts of the world, so if you’re marketing to a global audience, you need to be aware of that. Additionally, more and more people are using their mobile devices to search for information online, so your website needs to be optimized for mobile. Finally, with the rise of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, you need to make sure you have a presence on these platforms if you want to reach this audience.