Google may be the search engine that dominates, but Yahoo’s numbers are climbing, according to a new report from StatCounter
A partnership replaced Google Search with Yahoo Search as the main search option for Firefox users. Google fans could easily make the switch back to Google via their search engine preferences, however.
The change increased Yahoo’s share of search users from an 8.6% share in mid-November to 10.9% in mid-January. This number is the highest in five years. Unfortunately, a win for Yahoo also means a loss for Google. The search giant fell from a 77.3% share to 74.8% during the same period.
Yahoo’s climb was a nice surprise
A few analysts are surprised at Yahoo’s climb, as most assumed users would switch back to Google Search. This climb is great news for Yahoo, which struggled in the past few years, at least partially because of a revolving door of CEOs. The company’s current leader, Marissa Mayer, made some significant changes to revive the company, and some of the changes have been a small success.
Online searches seem small, but often they lead to bigger profits. Search engines rely on ads for revenues, and Yahoo can take these revenues to stir excitement in investors. The company also hopes its decision to spin off its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba will make up for its losses.
Firefox’s impact on Yahoo’s search growth
Right now it’s not clear just how much profit Yahoo is making on its new deal, especially considering the company is paying Mozilla for traffic. StatCounter reports that Yahoo’s search boost came from Firefox. The report included stats on Firefox usage in the United States. It reported that Yahoo on Firefox increased from 9.9% in November 2014 to 28.3% last month. Overall usage from Firefox users reached 14% last month.
Yahoo and its partner Bing will have to continue providing search users with good and fast results if they want to make the most of this deal.
