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Google Isn't Top Everywhere

We know that Google isn't the top search engine everywhere in the world. In a new report, the Financial Times tells us exactly where the search giant falls short. In Russia, Yandex is king, handling 46% of search queries. In nearby Czech Republic, Seznam handles 63% of searches. The Chinese search market, another area where Google has invested millions, belongs to Baidu, which handles more than 60% of searches. Naver in South Korea also surpasses the search giant with a 60%-plus share. And lastly, Yahoo Japan claims slightly more than half of the search market in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The FT report says there are some themes hidden behind these local success stories. Google tends to play second fiddle to rivals that invested much earlier in technology that works with local languages. In many cases, Google has had to copy these technologies, and then play catch-up as these rivals strengthen their brands. Also, unlike Google, many of the local search providers double as content companies, aiming to keep users on in-house sites as much as possible.

Unsurprisingly, Google doesn't like playing second fiddle, especially in a huge market like China. As CEO Eric Schmidt told the FT: "Because Baidu had such a head start largely because of the various bizarre laws that China has with respect to foreign media...All of us should tell the Chinese that their local markets need to be open to foreign investment, they need not favor their local competitors."

Read the whole story at Financial Times »

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