Google the powerhouse of intenet search has slipped slightly in market share since the launch of Microsoft Corp.’s rejuvenated Internet search engine Bing.

Microsoft has been heavily marketing Bing in hopes of reviving their search engine. Based on recent search volume reports from Hitwise, Microsoft’s efforts have been meet with moderate success helping to increase Bing’s share of the U.S. search market to 9.5% in August from 8% in the prior month, as Google and Yahoo saw their respective search volume shares weaken.

If we look at charts of search market share before Microsoft unveiled Bing in May we can see that Google was controlling a dominant portion of searches accounting for nearly 73% of all searches. Since the launch of Bing, Google has fallen slightly to 70.46% as of September.

Yahoo has remained fairly steady while the small player ask.com has seen its market share cut in half, they now account for a slim 2.5% of searches.

For small businesses and search marketers this is just a small reminder to not ignore smaller search engines Bing and Yahoo in your search optimization efforts.

Bing and Yahoo both have loyal followings so it is important for site owners and marketers to not ignore theses search engines. Make sure Yahoo and Bing index your site if it is not be sure to submit your site to the search feature as well as the local listing center. A favorable ranking on theses sites can still deliver steady targeted traffic

If Bing the “Decision Engine” campaign takes off we could see continual growth in search volume performed on this search engine. Bing’s search algorithm is not as good as Google’s in my opinion when it comes to providing relevant results but I am sure they are continually improving this issue and with their cool new UI they cold see growth as consumers give Bing a try. Keep your eye on the horizon as Yahoo and Bing push for a modest level of parity in the market place.

Tags: ask.com, Bing, Google, Search Market Share, Yahoo.

Recent negotiations between Yahoo and Goggle have lead to a pending partnership. Yahoo will now host Google adwords within its own search engine.

Yahoo will continue to display its own paid search advertisements right next to Google’s ads. An interesting juxtaposition that is sure to cause some initial confusion.

A statement released by Yahoo estimates that the union would bring in an additional $800 million in ad revenue annually. Google and Yahoo will share the revenue generated from the partnership, which is estimated to produce $250 million to $450 million in operating cash flow for Yahoo in year one.

This partnership is sure to increase Google’s preeminence in the search advertising market while increasing the reach of Google’s brand. Google already has a similar ad agreement with AOL and Ask.com.

A Yahoo/Google ad merger has some interesting implications for search marketers. The reach of Google adwords will be greatly increased and the possibilities for reaching new market segments all in one application is a nice benefit, but all of this is going to come with a cost. The pay per click and pay per impression cost of ads will increase due to the rising demand for Google’s ad services.

This move comes at an opportune time for both companies. With the current financial crisis and rapidly declining stock values both companies are sure to benefit from the increased cash flow. But this move is especially important for Yahoo because it will help Yahoo retain their current customer base and help revive the declining usage of Yahoo’s SERP (search engine results page) and allow them to survive in the market place with out a Microsoft buyout.

Anti-trust concerns have been waged. However, most analysts contend that the deal will withstand regulatory inspection. Until committee approval is reached Yahoo and Google have voluntarily delayed the agreement.

I guess in the end sharing is caring. 

Tags: Adwords, Google, Merger, search marketing, Yahoo.