The most used search engines in international SEO

International SEO is a set of techniques aimed at optimizing the visibility of a website on foreign search engines. It is crucial for companies that want to expand abroad and reach new customers.

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Choosing which search engines to target is an essential step in international SEO. Indeed, search engine market shares vary considerably from one country to another.

Here are some examples of search engine market shares in different countries:

  • Google:
    • World: 91,54%
    • France: 92,01%
    • United States: 88,84%
    • China: 3,86%
    • Russia: 55,41%
  • Bing:
    • World: 3,19%
    • France: 2,89%
    • United States: 7,24%
    • China: 12,18%
    • Russia: 35,22%
  • Baidu:
    • World: 0,93%
    • France: 0,04%
    • United States: 0,14%
    • China: 76,02%
    • Russia: 0,12%
  • Yandex:
    • World: 1,78%
    • France: 0,02%
    • United States: 0,04%
    • China: 0,04%
    • Russia: 55,41%

It is important to note that these market shares may vary depending on the data source.

 

Google: the undisputed leader

Google is the most widely used search engine in the world, with an overall market share of over 90%. It is therefore essential in international SEO.

To optimize your website for Google, it's important to :

  • Carry out keyword research taking into account the languages ​​and cultures of the targeted countries. It is important to use country-specific keyword research tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, Semrush ou Ahrefs.
  • Translate and adapt website content for each target language. The translation must be of quality and take into account the cultural nuances of each country.
  • Implement hreflang tags to indicate the language and country of each page of the site. Hreflang tags allow Google to understand the content of each page and serve it to users based on their language and country.
  • Submit your website to Google Search Console to monitor its performance and correct errors. Google Search Console tracks impressions, clicks, and website position in Google search results.
  • Create a responsive website which adapts to all types of devices, including mobile. More and more users are searching on mobile, so it's important that your website is optimized for this type of device.
  • Get quality backlinks of relevant websites. Backlinks are links that point to your website from other websites. They are an important signal to Google and can improve your website's ranking in search results.

 

Bing: the second largest search engine in the world

Bing is the second most used search engine in the world, with an overall market share of around 3%. It is particularly popular in the United States and some European countries.

To optimize your website for Bing, it's important to :

  • Create a Bing Webmaster Tools account to monitor its performance and correct errors. Bing Webmaster Tools is a tool similar to Google Search Console.
  • Submit your website to Bing Webmaster Tools.
  • Use Bing tools for keyword research and competitive analysis. Bing offers keyword research and competitive analysis tools similar to Google.
  • Optimize your website for mobile. As with Google, it is important that your website is optimized for mobile.
  • Get quality backlinks of relevant websites.

 

Baidu: the dominant search engine in China

Baidu is the most used search engine in China, with a market share of more than 70%. It is therefore essential for companies that want to target the Chinese market.

Optimizing your website for Baidu requires a different approach than for Google. Indeed, Baidu has its own ranking algorithm and its own relevance criteria.

Here are some important points to consider when optimizing your website for Baidu :

  • Host your website on a server in China. Hosting in China helps your website load faster for Chinese users and can improve its ranking in Baidu search results.
  • Obtain an ICP (Internet Content Provider) license. An ICP license is required to operate a commercial website in China.
  • Use the .cn domain name. .cn domain names are favored by Baidu in its search results.
  • Submit your website to Baidu Webmaster Tools. Baidu Webmaster Tools is a tool similar to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. It allows you to track the performance of your website on Baidu and correct errors.
  • Optimize your website for simplified Chinese. The official language of China is Mandarin, and Simplified Chinese is the most common form of writing on the internet.
  • Adapt website content to Chinese culture. It is important to consider Chinese cultural preferences when creating content for Baidu. Avoid sensitive topics and make sure your content complies with Chinese laws and regulations.
  • Building links on Chinese websites. Backlinks are also important for Baidu, but it is important to focus on quality, relevant Chinese websites.

 

Yandex: the leading search engine in Russia

Yandex is the most widely used search engine in Russia and other Eastern European countries, with a market share of more than 50%.

To optimize your website for Yandex, it's important to :

  • Create a Yandex Webmaster account. Yandex Webmaster is a tool similar to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
  • Submit your website to Yandex Webmaster.
  • Use Yandex tools for keyword research and competitive analysis. Yandex offers tools similar to Google and Bing.
  • Optimize your website for Russian. Russian is the main language used on Yandex.
  • Adapt website content to Russian culture. Consider Russian cultural preferences when creating content for Yandex.
  • Building links on Russian websites. Backlinks are also important for Yandex, but it is important to focus on quality, relevant Russian websites.

 

Other important search engines

Other important search engines to consider in international SEO include:

  • Yahoo! (overall market share of approximately 1%) : Yahoo! is still used in some countries, particularly the United States and Japan. It may be interesting to optimize your website for Yahoo! according to the international SEO strategy.
  • DuckDuckGo (overall market share approximately 0,5%) : DuckDuckGo is a search engine that emphasizes privacy. It may be interesting to optimize your website for DuckDuckGo if your target is concerned about the confidentiality of their data.
  • Naver (leading search engine in South Korea) : Naver is the dominant search engine in South Korea. If you are targeting the South Korean market, it is important to optimize your website for Naver.
  • Seznam (leading search engine in the Czech Republic) : Seznam is the most popular search engine in the Czech Republic. Depending on your international SEO strategy, it may be interesting to optimize your website for Seznam.

 

International search engines in brief

Choosing which search engines to target in international SEO depends on several factors, such as the targeted countries, target languages ​​and budget. It is important to know the specificities of each search engine to adapt your approach accordingly.

 

 

 

Esteban Irschfeld, SEO Consultant at UX-Republic