As of today Microsoft will have to give anyone who goes online using Internet Explorer the choice of installing a different browser after a court order to prevent the company monopolising the market. Admittedly for those that work in the industry, using alternative browsers has been a long standing choice, but members of the public in general have been unaware of the alternatives and have been using the PC default Internet Explorer. This means that Google may be able to increase its domination of the search market even as SEO professionals tailor their services even more in the favour of the Google search engine.
IE vs. Chrome
The court’s decision to enforce Microsoft to offer internet users a choice means that the public will be able to choose Chrome as their browser. Although the platform shares just 5 per cent of the market, compared to IE’s 62 per cent domination, recently publicity in mainstream media by Google may well sway the options of those who already use the company’s search engine. The push for publicising the brand means that that Chrome will be instantly recognisable and therefore could be a more popular choice than Firefox, Safari and Opera, amongst other major competitors.
SEO and Google
As a result SEO will focus optimisation for compliancy with the Google algorithm even more, instead of keeping room for manoeuvre to please search engines such as Bing. Once again, the parts of the Google puzzle come together, as the reasons behind their recent and unusual push for publicity in mainstream media become clear. The opportunity to cement its distinctive brand onto potential public users could be seen as a pre-emptive strike ready for the conclusion of the long court battle that Microsoft have been embroiled in.
Through advertising their services, Google have created a package that the public may well find hard to resist. After all, those who use IE probably search using Google as it is currently chosen by 85 per cent of users (January 2010 Market Share Report). Many of these users will be more likely to choose Chrome over any other browser, especially after Google has been promoting the compatibility of all its services and tools.
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