The decline of Yahoo - SEO - Internet

Being successful in professional SEO services is all about making sure one is up to speed with the most meaningful trends. A recent survey by comScore has suggested that Yahoo’s relative performance is continuing to dip in the United States. This result has to be seen in the context of a long term decline in popularity. There have been management changes at the search engine company, but what effect these will have remains unclear.

At Searchengineoptimisation.co.uk we are committed to monitoring the sphere of search with care. This enables us to devise appropriate fresh campaigns and to adjust existing campaigns. We believe in ethical optimisation and our commitment to research means that we are well placed to deliver on this front.

Obviously, Google is the most dominant search engine in the world. It has retained that position for some time. Nonetheless, those involved in SEO services have to take an active interest in the performance of its rivals. Microsoft’s Bing has been emerging as Google’s major challenger for some time. However, it has not made up much ground on Google in recent times. Due to the fact that Bing is currently Microsoft’s main rival, Yahoo typically obtains less attention. Nevertheless, it is vital that it is not forgotten entirely.

The situation between Yahoo and Bing is complex. They are in an alliance, but not all competition between them can be said to be over. The recent comScore showed a somewhat confusing picture. By one measure, labelled as ‘explicit core search’, Bing had nudged ahead of Yahoo. By another, called ‘total core search’, Yahoo had stayed narrowly ahead. Either way, the figures gave scant comfort to executives at Yahoo.

SEO services have to pay heed to American surveys. It might be thought that the findings of any American study will be less relevant to the British case than British research. While there is some truth in that assertion, it is worthy of recall that what happens in the United States frequently happens here later. Of course, there is no straightforward duplication of events. However, it would be foolish to ignore the fact that we often follow the trends they set.

It would be naive to think that there was something inevitable about Yahoo’s decline. There is still room for the corporation to turn things around. In the recent period, Yahoo’s slippage has been gradual. Despite this point, it is not easy for momentum to be generated in these kinds of circumstances. It is quite likely that Yahoo’s market share will dip further. This would give even more opportunities to Google and Bing. Both Google and Bing have the resources to move ahead with some confidence.

Sometimes a survey has little immediate impact on the way one would elect to optimise a site. However, such a survey can add a little detail to support what we know about a long term trend. Being aware of such a trend is of use and reminds us to keep looking for further evidence in the months to come. Consultancies which take notice of small details frequently do better than those that do not.