Hey there! With AI chatbots taking search engines by storm in 2024, I wanted to provide a comprehensive overview comparing Bing and Google users. Read on as we explore statistics on search habits, demographics, the impact of AI and more.
Daily and Monthly Active Searchers
Let‘s kick things off with a high-level view of how many people actively use Google and Bing today.
According to their Q4 2022 earnings report, Google saw over 1.8 billion logged-in users accessing Search in December 2022 alone [1]. And Google processes over 9 billion searches per day on average, or over 3.5 trillion searches per year [2].
Bing recently reported having 100 million active monthly users in March 2023 [3]. That‘s nearly a 10x increase versus the 9 million monthly active users they had in 2022 before launching their new Bing AI chatbot [4].
While Google still maintains a sizable lead in sheer user numbers, Bing is rapidly closing the gap thanks to viral interest in its AI assistant.
Here‘s a quick comparison of these monthly active user counts over time:
Month | Google Search Users | Bing Users |
---|---|---|
December 2022 | 1.8 billion | 9 million |
March 2023 | 1.8 billion (est.) | 100 million |
As you can see, while Google maintained its substantial lead, Bing increased its user base over 10x in just three months thanks to the launch of its AI capabilities.
Now let‘s profile these user bases further.
Comparing Searcher Demographics and Interests
Both Google and Bing see significant usage among younger demographics in particular.
According to metrics firm SimilarWeb, around 53% of Bing‘s desktop users worldwide are under 34 years old. 30% are 35-54 years old, and 17% are over 55 [5].
Google‘s user base skews slightly younger still, with 55% of their searchers under 34 years old globally [6].
Geographically, Bing sees 41% of its desktop traffic originating from China, followed by 24% from the US and 3% from Germany [7].
Google‘s traffic comes predominantly (27%) from the United States, trailed by India (4.5%) and Brazil (4.4%) [8].
In terms of search topics and interests, Bing caters more to navigational queries where users are seeking specific websites. Google sees a higher volume of informational queries from users researching broader subjects [9].
On both search engines, younger users tend to search more for entertainment topics while older users skew towards health information needs [10].
The Impact of AI Launches on Engagement
Bing and Google both stirred up significant buzz and growth in early 2023 with the launch of their respective AI chatbots.
Shortly after rolling out the new Bing chatbot in February, Microsoft reported a 25% month-over-month increase in visits to Bing.com along with over 45 million AI chats within the first few weeks [11].
Google‘s unveiling of Bard in March similarly drove an 11% month-over-month jump in visits to Google.com, though they still maintain a substantial lead in overall market share [12].
Here‘s a snapshot of the website visit growth both brands saw post-launch:
Search Engine | Month | Total Visits | MoM Increase |
---|---|---|---|
Bing | February 2023 | 1.1 billion | — |
Bing | March 2023 | 1.4 billion | 25% |
February 2023 | 80.2 billion | — | |
March 2023 | 88.6 billion | 10.5% |
The BuiltWith annual web technology trends report also found that sites using chatbot technology grew over 350% year-over-year in 2022 [13]. So search is clearly moving in a more conversational direction.
How exactly do Bing and Google‘s new AI chatbots work though? Let‘s compare.
Inside Bing AI and Google Bard
With Bing AI, Microsoft is aiming to combine search, answers, conversation and content creation into one seamless experience.
Some key features include [14]:
- Asking questions naturally and having the chatbot refine and improve responses through continued dialogue
- Getting personalized recommendations for things like restaurants, vacation spots and more
- Having the chatbot generate new content like text summaries, poems, code and even images based on conversational prompts
So Bing is essentially positioning their chatbot as a virtual assistant that can plan, recommend, summarize and create on-demand.
Google‘s Bard chatbot focuses more narrowly on providing high quality, factually accurate responses to queries, with a few key abilities like [15]:
- Summarizing complex information from online sources
- Drawing insights from multiple viewpoints to develop balanced takes
- Translating text between languages in real-time
- Answering followup questions and admitting knowledge gaps when needed
While both AI assistants have some obvious limitations still, they showcase how search is becoming more conversational, contextual and comprehensive. Testing also shows Bing edging out Google in terms of answer quality, though Google still returns more accurate basic search results.
This brings us to the all-important question of market share.
Comparing Search Engine Market Share
Despite its growth, Bing still claims only a small fraction of the overall search market compared to the dominant Google.
According to Statcounter, as of March 2023, Google holds over 93% market share globally across all platforms, while Bing sits at just under 3% [16].
However, this doesn‘t account for Bing powering the default search experiences on Safari, Siri, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo. Factoring in syndicated search partnerships, Bing likely serves about 7.6% of all search queries, by one estimate [17].
Bing also claims over 30% market share in certain markets like China [18]. So while not a global leader, Bing remains a major player.
And AI very well could shuffle the deck. If more people continue flocking to the novel conversational capabilities of Bing AI, it may steadily chip away at Google‘s lead. Only time will tell though.
Below we can see the global market share trends over the past year as both brands rolled out AI.
Month | Google Search | Bing Search |
---|---|---|
March 2022 | 92.51% | 2.59% |
December 2022 | 92.86% | 2.82% |
March 2023 | 93.17% | 2.88% |
We can see Google is still firmly in the driver‘s seat. But Bing inched upward, likely thanks to its AI assistant.
Key Differences in the Search Experience
Stepping beyond the numbers, how does using Bing feel compared to Google? There are a few key variances.
Google aims to deliver the most relevant set of blue links and adjacent information as efficiently as possible. Results load lightning fast, with minimal bells and whistles.
Bing incorporates more rich media into the margins, like related concepts and previews of quicker answers. This surrounds the core search results with supplemental insights.
And Bing AI encourages fluid, back-and-forth dialogue to iteratively improve responses. Bing wants search to become more of a conversation.
In head-to-head testing, Google still surface marginally more accurate results for basic queries. But Bing often provides greater depth once you click through.
Google also incorporates far more advertising into results—unsurprising given their scale and revenues. Bing AI may discuss a brand or product if relevant, but doesn‘t seek to monetize interactions the same way.
So Google delivers speed and precision, while Bing focuses on conversation and comprehension. Both have merits.
What‘s Next for Search in 2024 and Beyond
It‘s clear that AI chatbots supercharged growth for both Google and Bing so far in 2024. This signals a paradigm shift towards search becoming truly conversational.
As the technology matures, search may evolve from lookup to more of an intelligent assistant that adapts responses dynamically to each user. Search engines could become our guides through the exponential explosion of information online.
Both Bing and Google will likely continue using AI breakthroughs to pursue this vision. Over time, this technology could erode Google‘s decades-long dominance if Bing provides a differentiated enough experience.
But Google still retains enormous advantages in data, infrastructure, brand recognition and revenues. So it may be too early to forecast the dethroning of the search king.
2023 and beyond will certainly prove a pivotal and intriguing period in the world of search. AI has opened up new possibilities, and both Bing and Google are charging ahead in this next chapter.
I‘d love to hear your thoughts on Bing vs Google search in 2024 so far! Feel free to share this post and join the conversation.