Bing-o: Microsoft and Yahoo partner up to tackle Google

Recently, it was announced Yahoo and Microsoft have created a partnership that could heavily affect website optimization for businesses.

While Yahoo has typically been in direct competition with Microsoft's Bing, it was revealed that the two will become one - the former adopting the latter's search methods - starting in North America. This now means that Bing will become the main rival to Google and its leading market share for search engines in the continent. Web masters must now focus on their search engine optimization tactics to account for Bing's algorithm instead of simply focusing on Google.

Of the merger, Shashi Seth, senior vice-president of Yahoo Search Products, said "first let me say, wow, what a week. I am proud to announce that the transition of organic search between Yahoo and Microsoft is complete". Seth further stated "with this week's milestone behind us, Yahoo will continue to drive technology innovation in the search [market] to bring more value to users and advertisers alike".

In the recent comScore report for the U.S., Google remained on top, taking a 66.2 percent market share - well ahead of Yahoo's 17.1 percent and Bing's 11 percent. This new partnership hopes to shift the balance of power soon. Yahoo is one of the web's earliest search engines, launching in 1994.