If your website is ranking high on Google, 8 out of 10 people will believe that you are also doing well on Yahoo! and Bing. Unfortunately, the reality varies drastically. If you don’t wish to miss out on some incredible business opportunities, it is important for you to optimize your website separately for all three.

Since Yahoo! and Bing are affiliated, there is less for you to worry. Your results will remain the same on both! This post will help you understand the similarities and differences between major search engines and how they affect your rankings. Let’s get started –

Similarities between Bing, Yahoo! and Google

• You need to have high-quality back links on all three
• Pages need to incorporate geo-specific keywords for local success
• Paid search follows the same norms for all three

Notable differences between Google, Bing, and Yahoo!

Keywords

• Google algorithms can identify synonyms and recognize context that is framed around a specific keyword. This allows you to go creative with your content.
• When it comes to Yahoo! and Bing, you need to use the exact keywords when optimizing a page.

Search Queries

• When you incorporate a keyword phrase in your content, the website that is more popular and preferred on Google will rank higher.
• For the same strategy, Bing and Yahoo! prioritize local results.

Domain Authority

• Google gives importance to the quality of back links that point to your domain. Drawing links from credible sources like .gov and .edu can help you rank higher.
• If you wish to rank high on Bing and Yahoo! focus on ranking your domain page.

Flash Websites

• Flash websites are not compatible with Google
• Bing bots crawl flash websites and give credit to them

Mobile-Friendly Features

Google announced a new ranking factor on April 21, 2015 according to which websites that are optimized for fast and easy loading on mobile devices, would rank higher. It is very important for your website to incorporate mobile-friendly features if you want to rank better.

Bing has adopted the same approach as Google for ranking websites, but Yahoo! rankings still remain unaffected by mobile SEO.

Why It Makes Sense to Optimize For Bing and Yahoo

Google is the God of online search and its popularity becomes clearly evident when people use “Google” as a synonym for search. People no longer search for information online, they Google it. Search engine optimization has also evolved to mean optimizing for Google. Bing and Yahoo! have also evolved over time and are gradually gaining popularity on the digital landscape. These search engines are making steady progress with their unique offerings and optimizing for Bing and Yahoo! can give your online business an additional 30% of online visibility for search queries.

Diversify Your Portfolio to Maintain Your Rankings

Google updates are unpredictable and agonizing for online businesses. These updates trigger major changes in the organic traffic and many businesses have suffered huge losses due to Panda and Penguin updates.

This loss of incoming traffic can be balanced by optimizing the website for Bing and Yahoo! These search engines don’t operate on the same updates, so when your rankings are adversely affected on Google, you can still keep your online business booming on Bing. Yahoo! and Bing are peripheral search engines that are definitely worth optimizing for.

Capitalize On Different Demographics

It would interest you to know that every search engine is preferred by a different demographic. Bing is popular among the older generation as it is Internet Explorer’s default search engine. These preferences are also influenced by regional differences, for example Yahoo is very popular in Southern states while Bing is well-liked by those who reside in the rust belt.

Whether by age or region, if your target audience falls into any of these categories, it is worth investing in optimization. If you are an elder law firm, a retirement planning advisory, or an in-home care agency, it makes sense to optimize for both.

Optimization Preferences and Priorities

If you are planning to optimize your website for Yahoo! and Bing, you need to know these key differences prior to implementing your SEO strategy.

Local Listings

• Google’s local listings are highly influenced by the authority, backlink flow, popularity, positive reviews, and ratings.
• Bing has a slightly different approach – proximity is given primary preference for local listings

Ranking Preferences

• Google is a little biased towards brands that project a modern social presence. Your ranking is determined by your popularity in a given crowd.
• Bing rankings are based on reputation and history. Established companies typically rank higher on Bing and Yahoo! as compared to start-ups and upcoming agencies.

Semantic Search vs Prominent Positioning

• Google is unbeatable when it comes to interpreting the target of a website. This search engine has an intuitive understanding of semantic search.

• Bing relies heavily on the prominence and positioning of keywords while gauging the credibility and intention of a given website. This is why optimization becomes more important and essential when it comes to Bing and Yahoo!

Split Your Budget between the Two

If you want to maximize your ROI and expand your online reach, you can split your budget and efforts between Google and Bing. While Google retains a massive chunk of search queries, Bing and Yahoo! make up for the remaining 30%.

Key Takeaways

If you think optimizing for all three is not a feasible option, you can try these simple tips to remain prominent on all three –

• Post relevant and high-quality content on your website
• Make sure that your website offers a seamless end-user experience
• Update your social profiles regularly
• Use industry experts for influential marketing