Microsoft Bing Search Share Dips In AprilMicrosoft Bing Search Share Dips In April

The number of searches using Bing fell 2% from the previous month, which translated into a 9.43% share of all Web searches in the month, Experian Hitwise found in its monthly search analysis, released Wednesday. On the other hand, Google ended the month with a 2% increase in searches for an overall share of 71.4%.

Meanwhile, searches on Yahoo dropped 1%, giving the Web portal a 14.96% share. However, the biggest loser was Ask, which suffered a 37% drop in search from March. Ask ended April with a 2.18% market share, compared to a 3.44% share the previous month.

Despite Bing's dip, the search engine's performance in four major categories showed that Microsoft focus on vertical markets appeared to have worked last month. The number of searches on Bing related to automotive, health, shopping and travel soared by 95%, 105%, 100% and 71%, respectively, compared to the same month a year ago.

However, Microsoft had a far smaller share of the overall market for each category than Google. The latter posted growth in every category except health, where the number of searches fell 6%. In automotive, shopping and travel, the number of searches on Google grew year-over-year by 11%, 15%, and 6%, respectively.

At the end of March, Microsoft announced plans for a number of enhancements to its search service.