Siri’s switch to Google as the default search engine is a big loss for Bing

Google has further tightened its iron grip over the search engine market. Now instead of looking to Bing when it needs extra help Siri will ask Google. Siri’s switch to Google applies to web searches from Siri, Search inside iOS (formerly called Spotlight) and Spotlight on the Mac.

The move follows Apple’s decision to make Google the default search engine on Safari thanks to a multi-billion dollar deal. This move will mean that users now consistently use Google for search functions across all their devices.  This will be a welcome change for some users as previously safari used Google as its default engine whereas Siri and search inside used Bing.

Thankfully for Microsoft Siri’s switch to Google isn’t the end of Bing on your iPhone. Bing will still be users to power image searches as it is generally considered to be superior to its competitors in that respect.

Being the default search Engine is worth billions to Google

Siri’s switch to Google as the default search engine is a huge win for the company. The iOS market is one of the most lucrative in the World and at times Google’s revenue from iOS has vastly outstripped their revenue from Android. This is because Google have long been the default search engine for Safari and users very rarely switch, despite there being other alternatives out there.

While the results seen by users will be the ranked search results that appear after the advertisements. The lack of direct revenue funding from searches on iOS doesn’t reduce the deal’s value to Google. Once a user clicks “show Google results” they will be taken to the standard Google homepage, where normal tracking and advertising rules apply. On top of that tangible revenue stream there is the intangible advantage of being seen as the “default” search engine on every device.

Google has so successfully established themselves as the default that “Google it” is now shorthand for “look it up”. This gives the appearance of a monopoly and it’s why Siri’s switch to Google will hurt Microsoft’s Bing so badly. Many other providers, such as DuckDuck Go and Bing have attempted to gain a slice of the search engine pie. They have generally struggled thanks to Google’s complete stranglehold over the search engine market. If Google can continue to ensure that their search engine is considered the default then they ensure that the Internet is designed around them. The fact that Google will be the default engine for almost every smart phone on the market will further encourage SEO to be optimized in Google’s favor to the expensive of their competitors.

Siri’s switch to Google will further enforce their stranglehold over the search engine market and will make it more difficult for other search engines to keep up.