Market-leading Yandex has taken share from Google (NSDQ: GOOG) on its home turf in Russia this last year, comScore (NSDQ: SCOR) observes.
Google’s 29 percent share of Russian searches is slim compared with the more than 90 percent it occupies in countries like the UK.
But that doesn’t mean it’s out of the game. Even if it stays in this clear but secure second place, it stands to benefit merely from the fast-growing Russian market itself.
“With a total population of approximately 140 million, there is still significant room for growth in Internet adoption and potential to increase search activity among existing users,” comScore says, noting that Russia today has nearly 50 million internet users.