Google and Mozilla’s Partnership
For many years, Google and Mozilla have had a good relationship that has been beneficial to both parties. Google has actively promoted the Mozilla FireFox browser and in exchange, Google has been the default search engine for FireFox. With over 20% of the market share, FireFox is the second most popular browser available and has Millions of users in the UK alone. Understandably, being the default search engine for FireFox is a coveted position. In fact, almost 90% of Mozilla’s revenue comes from this partnership with Google.
Last year, Google launched its own browser, Chrome, and this has changed things considerably. Whilst the introduction of Chrome does not necessarily signify the end of the Google / Mozilla relationship, it is a distinct possibility. Mozilla chair, Mitchell Baker has announced that the introduction of Chrome is causing them to rethink their reliance on Google. There is no doubt that there will be many companies eager to fill Google’s position, some of who will be willing to pay over the odds for the privilege.
The current contract between Google and Mozilla will not expire until 2011, and a lot can happen in that time. In fact, 2009 is set to be a big year for browsers. So far, we have seen the launch of Chrome after being removed from beta as well as an antitrust lawsuit brought against Microsoft for its exclusive inclusion of Internet Explorer With windows. It is quite possible that the Market share of the major browsers will change a lot in 2009, making the situation in 2011 very difficult to predict.
By Dave M Stewart
This article is one of many blog posts from Niche SEO – The UK based Internet Marketing company. For more marketing tips or the latest news, please visit our SEO Blog