While there are dozens of choices out there, when it comes to search engines we go for one of the two — Google or Bing. The Bing statistics that follow aim to examine how this search engine stacks up against its main rival, and explain why it can be one of the best advertising options for some businesses.
Yes, we are aware of Google’s popularity among Internet users around the globe, but what about Bing? Read the list below to find out more about the most underrated search engine in the world.
Bing Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- Bing had 963.5 million unique visits in October 2019.
- Bing accounts for 4% of all organic search visits in the US.
- 69% of Bing searches involve well-known brands and websites.
- 85% of those who use Bing are in the US.
- Over 70% of those who use Bing are older than 35.
- 38% of those who use Bing have a household income of more than $100,000.
- Bing is on more than 1.5 billion devices.
- Bing is available in 40 languages.
Bing Search Statistics
1. Bing had 963.5 million unique visits in October 2019.
In May 2019, Bing exceeded 1 billion unique monthly visits. The number of visits started dropping, only to resume climbing in October. It remains to be seen what 2020 will look for one of the world’s most popular search engines.
(Statista)
2. Bing accounts for 4% of all organic search visits in the US.
Google search stats reveal that the search engine giant is miles ahead of Bing, accounting for 92% of all organic search visits. Bing stats also show that it is one of the few search engines that have fewer mobile visits. While Google accounts for 95% of mobile organic search visits, Bing covers only 1.6%.
(Statista)
3. Bing has a mobile search click share of 34%.
Google beats Bing once again; the most popular search engine in the world has a paid mobile search click share of 74%, with smartphone and tablet numbers combined. Bing facts on marketing, however, show that it comes out on top in the tablet department, leading the search click share by 1% over Google.
(Statista)
4. 69% of Bing searches involve well-known brands and websites.
More than two-thirds of all Bing searches are related to big brands, according to search engine stats. Here are 5 of the most popular terms and their search volumes:
- Facebook: 14,350,000.
- YouTube: 11,250,000.
- Google: 9,490,000.
- Gmail: 6,480,000.
- how to get help in windows 10: 6,420,000.
(Ahrefs)
5. Bing accounts for around 30% of all searches in the US.
Bing trends indicate a slight rise in popularity. Before joining together with Yahoo, Bing had 14% of the US search market. With Yahoo’s 16% share, Bing has become the second most popular search engine stateside. While its numbers are dropping, Google still accounts for 65% of searches in the US.
(Aborg)
6. Bing has a global market share of 2.32%.
Even when we take Yahoo’s 1.59% share into account, Bing doesn’t seem competitive, with Google holding 92.71% of the global search engine market share. Still, while its market share stands below 5%, it’s enough to make Bing the second most popular search engine on the planet.
(statcounter)
Bing Demographics
7. 50% of those who use Bing are female.
Deciding whether Bing is worth advertising on can be tough. That’s why Microsoft became transparent about its US user demographics. Advertisers can now clearly see who the users are and decide whether they are their target audience. For starters, they can see that the search engine is equally used by male and female users.
(Statista)
8. 85% of those who use Bing are in the US.
Looking into the data on who uses Bing, we can see that the majority of this search engine’s audience comes from the US. In addition to its relative lack of a global audience, the majority of Bing search users are on Internet Explorer; 87% come from this browser which has Bing as its stock search engine. SEO stats show that this is the largest market for advertisers and SEO agencies.
(Aborg)
9. 20% of those that use Bing are located in the South Atlantic region.
Bing statistics show that a fifth of all the search engine’s users come from the South Atlantic region of the US. This means it could be useful to those whose customer base resides in Florida, Georgia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. East North Central and Pacific are the next most prominent regions, with each accounting for 15% of Bing’s user base.
(Zakandzu)
10. Over 70% of those who use Bing are older than 35.
Bing web search seems to be most popular among more mature audiences. Bing usage statistics find that just 11% of users are 18-24 years old, while 18% are 25-34. 35-54-year-olds account for 18% of Bing’s US users, while those in the 45-54 range make 20% of the user base. Businesses that aim to attract younger generations should definitely think twice about investing in ads on Bing. On the flip side, companies that cater to older demographic groups might find Bing to be the right move.
(Zakandzu)
11. 33% of Bing users are older than 55.
A third of all Bing US users are above the age of 55. 17% of them are 55-64 years old, while 16% are over the age of 65. Bing is a gold mine for those targeting this audience. Now, let’s move to the question of whether they have money to spend.
(Zakandzu)
12. 38% of those who use Bing have a household income of more than $100,000.
Just 9% of Bing search engine users earn $25,000-$39,999. 16% of users earn $40,000-$59,999, 12% are in the $60,000-$74,999 range, while 16% have a household income of $75,000-$99,999. Bing surveys discover that a whopping 38% of US users earn over $100,000 per year.
(Aori)
13. 30% of those who use Bing have graduated from college.
The high income of those using Bing comes hand in hand with high education levels —close to a third of all Bing USA users have a college degree, with 18% having advanced degrees.
(Aori)
14. 43% of those who use Bing are married.
Even though the majority of users are married, advertising to single Americans on Bing can be a good idea, as they represent 31% of the engine’s user base.
(Aori)
Interesting Bing Facts and Stats
15. Bing is on more than 1.5 billion devices.
According to Microsoft, Bing is on more devices across the world than iOS. This should come as no surprise as Microsoft also runs Windows, the most popular OS on the planet. Guess which search engine comes with it.
(ZDNet)
16. 48% of Bing searches are from Windows 10.
Windows 10 depends on Bing for all of its searches. If you’re on Windows, chances are you’re using Bing, probably without even realizing it. One of the lesser-known facts about Bing is that the searches in MS Office, Skype, or other Microsoft-owned apps all depend on it and are calculated in its search scores.
(WordStream)
17. Shopping ads on Bing have a 45% higher CTR than on Google.
Partnering with Amazon, OfferUp, and GumTree, Bing has expanded the ability of its ads to be discovered beyond search. This way, it reaches over a third of all online retail searches, according to the latest Bing news. The engine has been much more successful than Google when it comes to shopping ads and their click-through rates.
Those interested in learning more about pay-per-click ads should check out our article on PPC stats.
(WordStream)
18. Bing is available in 40 languages.
Bing usage has led to the engine being available in 40 languages. Some of the more interesting ones include Catalan, Icelandic, and Tamil. Bing can find results in these languages, and it can be displayed in plenty more thanks to Microsoft’s Bing Translator app. Language packs for offline use can also be downloaded.
(TC)
19. One of the suggested names for Bing was Bang.
When choosing the name for its search engine, one of Microsoft’s advertising strategists, David Webster, suggested the name Bang, as it was easy to remember and spell. However, since it couldn’t be used as a verb without causing a few chuckles, what is now known as Bing worldwide came to be.
(cnet)
20. Bing offers its users rewards for searching.
In an effort to bring more people to its search platform, Bing launched a rewards program back in 2010. The campaign, while unusual for a company in this business, was successful, increasing the number of US users by over 3% in less than 2 years. Users are still able to earn rewards by simply staying logged in into their Bing accounts and searching. By searching and earning credits, users can earn Bing rewards such as bonus points and cooking classes. For those who don’t want to bother with Microsoft Edge, Bing app download is the way to go about earning these rewards.
(Microsoft)
21. Bing revenue is projected to rise by 11% in Q1 2020.
Bing seems to have more and more users every year and Microsoft predicts that its year-on-year revenue from the search engine will increase by 11% in the first 3 months of 2020.
(mspoweruser)
FAQ
1. Who owns Bing?
Microsoft owns and runs Bing. This company has a rich history of search engine operation, starting with MSN Search in 1998, which evolved into Windows Live Search and Live Search. Bing marks the latest installment on this evolution list, as Microsoft aimed to rebrand its Live line of products. This search engine does everything all other search engines do: it provides web, video, image, and map search services.
2. How old is Bing?
Bing was announced on May 28, 2009. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had the honor of announcing the arrival of the new search engine at the All Things Digital conference in San Diego. Just days after the announcement, on June 3, 2009, the search engine was launched. This means that Bing can be served alcohol in American bars in 2020, as it turns 21.
3. How many people use Bing?
The number of unique monthly visits for Bing is around 1 billion. As with any other website, the number is variable; in May 2019, the search engine had 1.03 billion visits, with the number dropping to 950 million in September. Luckily for Bing, the combined number of desktop and mobile visits is climbing again, with 963.5 million visits recorded in October.
4. What is the most searched thing on Bing?
According to ahrefs.com, just under 70% of Bing searches are centered around brands and websites we are all familiar with. Terms such as facebook, youtube, google, gmail, yahoo, amazon, and netflix are among the ones with the highest search volume on Bing. Keywords such as facebook log in, gmail login, and ebay official site also have large search volumes.
5. How does Bing make money?
Similarly to other search engines, Bing makes money from ads. Microsoft Advertising, or Bing Ads, functions just like Google Ads — advertisers pay the company to display their message or list them in the top results for a specific search term.
Conclusion
When it comes to search engines, most of us instantly think of Google. Given a few seconds to think, we might remember that Bing exists. At first glance, Bing is an obsolete search engine.
Marketers, however, seem to think otherwise. As the Bing statistics listed above show, this search engine is more than able to stay competitive in a tough market, while its popularity among certain demographics makes it an irreplaceable marketing tool.