Baidu, the upstart Chinese search engine, is giving Google a run for its money in the world’s most populous country.
In June, the 9-year-old company passed Google in market share for the first time, riding a head of stream.
Baidu edges out Google in China, according to Net Applications (Baidu share in blue)
The switch in leadership illustrates how intense of a two-horse race the Chinese market has become. Yahoo trails in a very distant third place.
According to Net Applications, Baidu had 51 percent of the market at the end of the month compared with Google’s 44 percent. Yahoo had 1.6 percent and Microsoft, less 0.9 percent.
“Baidu is on a major growth curve” and benefiting as Chinese users migrate from Google, Net Applications says.
Baidu now accounts for 9 percent of global search usage (topping Microsoft). It will prove a formidable foe for Google.
It’s not entirely surprising that Baidu is ahead in China. Supporting languages as radically different as English and Chinese creates a challenge for Google not faced by Baidu’s single-language product.
And then there’s the fact that Baidu receives preferential treatment by the Chinese government, which often attempts to suppress Google.