Most people recognize the power and influence of Google. They represent the vast majority of search engine quires. However, the Yahoo Bing Network holds its own audience of loyal searchers, whose value should not be under-estimated.

Back in 2010, Yahoo transitioned from an in-house search infrastructure and to one that utilized Microsoft’s Bing platform. This allowed the two companies to consolidate their efforts, combine adverting services and increase overall ability to compete with Google.

Yahoo Bing Network: Information on Searchers Not Using Google

While the impact has been far from calamitous for Google, it has created a solid market niche for the Yahoo Bing Network. The collaborative effort has produced a market share estimated to be above 30% of searches, with as high as 47 Million exclusive users in the US alone.

John Gagnon is a brand evangelist for the Yahoo Bing Network. He writes about this audience this week on searchenginewatch.com:

“We all know audience is important, but exactly how important, is often overlooked in search marketing. The audience of each search engine can impact the searches being done and the ROI of your campaigns, especially for specific industries.

For example, did you know that 73 percent of the searchers on Bing and Yahoo in the Travel category are exclusive, which means you can only find these U.S. travel searchers on the Yahoo Bing Network – not on Google.

The difference in audience drives performance and provides opportunity.

Yahoo Bing Network: A Distinct Audience When Compared to Google

“Our advertisers and partners often tell us that Bing Ads converts better and has lower CPCs, and we know that our audience drives that performance,” said Shawn Mohamed, Group Manager of Bing Ads Market Intelligence. “What our advertisers often don’t think about and what makes us different, is our significant, distinct audience of 47 million unique searchers in the U.S. whom you can only find on Bing and Yahoo Search, not on Google. It’s not just that we are different, it matters how we’re different.”

That’s not necessarily news, but comScore data also reveals the number of unique searchers by industry category. As mentioned, 73 percent of the searchers on Bing and Yahoo search in the travel category are exclusive, which means you can only find these 12 million U.S. travel searchers on the Yahoo Bing Network.

What about other categories? According to comScore, the exclusive audience reaches across other industries, including:

• 82 percent of Telecom
• 76 percent of Automotive
• 70 percent of Business/Finance
• 58 percent of Education
• 46 percent of Retail

The number or users in the chart highlights the potential audience reach you’re missing when not advertising with Bing Ads and also helps to explain why advertisers often see increased ROI for campaigns in these industries.

The search marketing data from comScore reveals that even though searchers can switch between search engines, they typically stick with the same search engine to complete that specific task.

“A major myth is that most consumers use multiple search engines in their decision journey in an effort find the right answer to complete a specific task,” Mohamed said. “Sounds reasonable. The reality is, that’s not the case.”

Comparing the Audience ‘Buying Power’

Exclusive audience reach gives insight into missed opportunity, but what about comparing value of searchers across the networks?

A quick look into the Audience Buying Power Index (source: comScore Core Search custom, December 2012) between search audiences is also telling:

• As a whole, 153 million US searchers on the Yahoo Bing Network spend 8 percent more than Google searchers
• The exclusive audience of 47 million unique searchers in the US exclusive to Bing and Yahoo! Search spend 30 percent more than the average Google searcher”

Yahoo Bing Network Conclusions

Understanding your company’s target audience is critical to knowing the most productive channels of marketing. This information provided by Gagnon shows that perhaps many marketers are missing out on the understanding of where that  audience is located. As he says “The right audience can drive higher ROI.” Now, its just a matter of determining how to best connect with the target. If you believe your audience is concentrated on the Yahoo Bing Network, maybe its time to test the waters to see if you can increase your ROI.