93% of experiences online begin with a search engine, as stated by 99 Firms.
There’s no argument. SEO is crucial for your business, but what about the underdogs of the search engine world? There has been somewhat of a superior stigma attached to Google, and, according to Curratti, Google’s market share is 92.25%, with over 3.5 billion searches per day.
However, this doesn’t mean Google is necessarily the best or only option for your business. Selecting the right search engine to optimize for can be the key ingredient you need to get more eyeballs on your business. But what exactly are the essential pieces you should know about DuckDuckGo and Bing SEO?
Below is a list, made with you in mind, to fully understand the differences between Google and non-Google search engines, their significant SEO variances, and tips on how you can improve your website’s traffic metrics using non-Google search engines.
How is SEO Different for Non-Google Search Engines?
There are many different players at hand when we talk about the differences between SEO for Google versus non-Google search engines.
A young and mighty engine that’s recently caused a buzz is DuckDuckGo, founded in 2008. They pride themselves on not tracking personal data, no invasive ad pop-ups, and they certainly don’t geotag you.
When it comes to Bing SEO vs Google SEO, one of the major differences is backlinking. Backlinks are ranking factors for both; however, the quality of the backlink is more critical with Bing compared to Google.
Essentially, Bing requires a website to include links to at least one external site. If not, the site is deemed unimportant, unlike Google, where it keeps an infinite number of websites regardless of linking.
Yahoo and Bing rankings lazer in on sites that obtain images, audio, and visuals because of “entity understanding.” An entity being anything singular, unique, distinguishable, and well-defined.
Unlike that of Bing or DuckDuckGo, Google’s entity understanding has become extremely innovative, piecing together entities with context much like us humans do as we learn how to talk.
What does this mean for SEO purposes? When trying to rank in Google, it’s best to match target keywords that you’ve selected and associate the relevant context around it. You can do this by studying the topics and keywords found on the front page of Google.
Targeted keywords are another factor in ranking for Bing SEO but not so much in Google. Similarly, meta tags are taken into consideration for Bing SEO but not for Google.
Like Bing, Yahoo also examines meta tags, title tags, and meta descriptions, which help with user click-through-rates. Today, Yahoo search is powered by Bing and can be characterized more as an internet portal and less of a search engine.
A rather interesting way to rank on DuckDuckGo’s SEO is to repurpose your content. DuckDuckGo searches for instant answers rather than links, so providing those answers on different social sites like Quora, Reddit, or even Wikipedia can boost your SEO.
Because DuckDuckGo doesn’t Geotag, keywords like ‘closest to’ or ‘near’ aren’t relevant. Instead, using words such as why, what, how, and when are imperative to consider for DuckDuckGo’s SEO.
Ultimately, targeted keywords and quality backlinking are the significant components to Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo.
What is the Difference Between Google and Bing/DuckDuckGo
Let’s first discuss the key differences between Google and DuckDuckGo.
DuckDuckgo’s non-invasive ad feature is a big game-changer when we talk about user experience because, as most of us know, as soon as we click enter on a Google search, we’re hit in the face with multiple ads.
Another useful feature offered on DuckDuckGo is what’s called ‘Bangs.’ Bangs are shortcuts that promptly deliver you to search results on different sites. This shortcut is an excellent time-saver.
As discussed earlier, a prominent, more attractive feature about DuckDuckGo is that it does not store personal information, doesn’t track your IP address, and does not track your search history. With some severe issues of privacy on Google, using DuckDuckGo solely for the privacy feature might be a highly important reason to switch over.
In contrast, Bing and Google obtain search history and more private information, most times to give you better user experiences.
An additional highlight about Bing is its reward program that allows you to build up credits to redeem later for movie rentals, gift cards, etc. Besides the reward system, Bing gives straight forward access to webmaster support and includes a helpful blog to utilize.
Bing has a great incentive program and helpful resources, and also, they’re more forthcoming with exactly how to rank on their search engine, unlike Google.
Now, let’s explore some strategies to get your website rocking for Bing SEO.
SEO Strategies for Bing
Compared to Google, Bing is more friendly when it comes to SEO. Let me explain.
- Begin by using Bing webmaster tools. This tool will help you see which keywords you rank for, how your site is indexed, and detect any issues you might have.
- Another helpful webmaster tool is Bing’s SEO analyzer, which lets you see markups on your sites such as HTML, Microformats, OpenGraph, and Schema.org.
- Your bounce rate is a component to ranking well on Bing SEO. A bounce rate refers to the proportion of people who click on your site and then quickly click out of it without going to browse any other pages. Gaining more users to browse multiple sites is equivalent to receiving a comment in your Instagram feed, it’s much more valuable. To fix this, study user behavior and figure out what they don’t like about that specific page.
It is important to note that compared with Google, Bing’s bounce rates are comparatively lower.
- Social Signals is another SEO strategy you should spend time cultivating. Please make sure you have multiple social sites and that they’re all consistent.
- Another on-site page SEO tip is to include keywords inside your domain name; this will send a reliable signal to Bing’s SEO.
- Bing Rankings can also be reached by page authority. Older domains are more critical for higher rankings on Bing.
- The presentation of the information needs to be neatly laid out so that users can skim through and obtain the necessary information without having to read the entire article.
Altogether, to rank with Bing, focus on exploring the webmaster tools, SEO analyzer, and spend time understanding your website’s bounce rate.
SEO Strategies for DuckDuckGo
According to Monitor Backlinks, here are some ways to get started optimizing your site to rank for DuckDuckGo’s SEO.
Remember when I said DuckDuckGo doesn’t geotag? Yeah, well, that means putting in a little extra effort with your keywords if you own a local store.
For example, if your store is located in Manila, Philippines, you’ll want to use something like this: Best Rice Bowls in Manila. You can learn more about some free keyword resources here.
A combination of pieces determines high backlink quality, such as a domain score of 50 or above, status, and relevance. Add to your social signal by link building or obtaining social shares that mirror the quality of website content like blog posts while also creating quality backlinks.
DuckDuckGo’s instant answer feature is another way to improve your SEO. Spread the love with your information by sharing it with sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, Free Dictionary, and other instant answer websites.
DuckDuckgo’s SEO takes time; no great things happen overnight. Allocate time to consistently add to and improve your SEO optimized website and stay up-to-date with DuckDuckGo’s SEO.
To put it briefly, adjust your keywords, start creating quality backlinks, and utilize instant answer sites to get ranking with DuckDuckGo!
Is it Worth Investing in SEO for Bing/DuckDuckGo?
“Since DuckDuckGo’s humble beginnings, we have grown five orders of magnitude (10x growth spurts), from that initial 100 searches a day to over 10 million a day,” noted by the Founder, Gabriel Weinberg.
DuckDuckGo doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. Still, similarly, the search engine you choose to optimize your SEO solely depends on your goals but also where your target audience is searching.
For smaller startups or businesses with values on privacy, DuckDuckGo may be the way to go, and it may be easier to gain traction, considering there’s less competition. If your audience is solely in the U.S., maybe Bing is your best option. And lastly, let’s not forget that 90% of searches on the internet start with Google.
Start by reviewing your company goals, think about where your audience is assembling, and then consider carrying out tips from at least two of the provided SEO lists above.
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t be putting all your eggs in one basket. Most importantly, all search engines are looking for the same things: a consistent and user-friendly experience, useful and relevant information, and of course, who can answer the question the best.