Google's share of US search market drops to lowest level since 2008, Mozilla / Yahoo deal to blame

[Shawn Knight]

Mozilla’s decision to part ways with Google as the default search provider in Firefox, which went into effect at the beginning of December, is already having a pretty significant impact on the US-based Internet search market.

Data from web analytics firm StatCounter shows that Google’s share of the search market in the US fell 2.1 percent at the end of 2014, from 77.3 percent in November to 75.2 percent in December. Yahoo’s share, meanwhile, increased 1.8 percent – from 8.6 percent in November to 10.4 percent a month later.

Those few percentage points may not sound like much but it’s pretty significant. For Google, it’s the lowest US share yet recorded by StatCounter which began recording statistics in 2008. And for the Marissa Mayer-led Yahoo, it’s the highest US search share the company has enjoyed since 2009.

The shift in market share is a direct result of the five-year deal that Mozilla signed with Yahoo late last year to become the default search provider in Firefox 34. For the past 10 years, Mozilla had relied on Google to provide the default search experience in its web browser.

As of December, Firefox held just over 12 percent of the browser market in the US according to StatCounter.

It’s also worth mentioning that Apple’s agreement with Google to be the default search provider in Safari expires this year. Things could get even more interesting should Google lose out on this deal, especially if Yahoo is able to land it.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59348-google-share-us-search-market-drops-lowest-level.html

 

[yRaz]

I moved to chrome years ago because FF is a **** browser if you don't use any of it's high level security features. Yahoo is a garbage search engine and it's fitting that it's being paired with a garbage product.

 

[Uncle Al]

Certainly Google's "not so secret" handling of consumers personal information hasn't helped their image. While they have some terrific products out here, they do a terrible job of making them known to the average user. I still remember when you could EASILY use Google to search for real estate and add all sorts of neat things to an easy to use Google maps. Now, it just isn't the same and frankly, isn't worth the time or effort.

As the old saying goes, "if you want to sell to the public you better give them enough sizzle that they won't even notice you burned the steak" ...... Yeah, I made that up, but it's pretty good isn't it? Hey Google, how much you going to give me for using it???

 

[treetops]

Googles search results have seemed lackluster in the last few years it seems harder to find what your looking for with google.

 

[drjekelmrhyde]

Googles search results have seemed lackluster in the last few years it seems harder to find what your looking for with google.

Were your searches porn related?

 

[Guest]

You said exactly what I was going to say.

 

[Uncle Al]

All I was going to add is "was it the content or the actors that were lacking luster"???

 

[indianacarnie]

Haven't used Google in years myself. I usually use Bing/DuckDuckGo these days to tell you the truth. Google is just too intrusive for my liking.

 

[Guest]

Curious as to how many FF users even bother to fiddle with their search engine preferences? You know that is the reason for the change so it isn't news. That would be like saying Chrome made a 78% increase they became bundled with Windows rather than IE.

 

[treetops]

Were your searches porn related?

lol no I can find porn just fine

I love google but the paid for top results get in the way.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Curious as to how many FF users even bother to fiddle with their search engine preferences?

I don't know the answer to that question, but I spent time changing mine to Bing.

 

[Guest]

I'm still using Firefox variant... CyberFox 64 for AMD optimized.

I liked the extensions it have...

adblock edge, downthemall, flashgot, youtube downloader, WOT,

 

[JakeT]

I used to think Google was it but not anymore. They acquiesce to big corp and it shows way too much in their search results. Google is a tool for buying, period. I use other search engines for when I want real results. I like the fact I can choose with Firefox now. Google will or is becoming that big ole company everyone likes to hate, ie MS, AT&T.... your cable company......

 

[Guest]

I always just configure DuckDuckGo as my default search engine.

 

[DDG4005]

I prefer Bing for my searches these days; that said I don't think this drop poses any real threat to Google's dominance in the search arena. As for Yahoo...whatever.

 

[Guest]

Google is an insidious organization which has proven itself untrustworthy. Its searches are becoming more and more localized and consumer product related rather then a world wide general search which is what Tim Berners Lee wanted www to be. All about power, money and spying on people!

 

[Guest]

Bing is an entity engine more than an advertising revenue engine, as Yahoo uses Bing as well as as Spotlight.. might as well use it.

 

[Guest]

Google tracks people even if they don't use google search. every time you go to a web page with a google ad on it, you are being tracked.