When a Belgian business owner says "search engines", they almost always mean Google. The figures back them up: Google still handles the vast majority of searches in Belgium. But the picture is more complicated than one logo, and it is changing fast. Bing quietly feeds several other engines, and AI assistants such as ChatGPT Search, Copilot and Perplexity now answer questions that used to end in a click.
We checked the latest StatCounter figures for Belgium, how each engine picks its sources, and what that means in practice for an SME. The short answer: you do not need to abandon Google, but you can no longer optimise only for Google.
An article from our search engines cluster. To measure how Copilot cites your site, follow our Bing Webmaster Tools guide. For the Belgian AI picture, see the state of GEO in Belgium in 2026.
In short
- In October 2026, StatCounter gives Google 88.5% of searches in Belgium and Bing 8.14%.
- Yahoo and Ecosia get their results from Bing, so Bing-powered engines weigh more than Bing's own share suggests.
- AI search engines (ChatGPT Search, Copilot, Perplexity, Google AI Mode) are not broken out by StatCounter, but they answer questions directly.
- Each AI engine picks sources differently, yet all of them need your pages to be crawlable, indexed and easy to quote.
- Being visible on Bing and Copilot is the cheapest extra step for a Belgian SME.
Which search engines do people use in Belgium in 2026?
In October 2026, Google handles 88.5% of searches in Belgium, followed by Bing at 8.14%. These are the figures published by StatCounter for all platforms combined, at the time of writing on 4 November 2026.
| Search engine | Share in Belgium, October 2026 |
|---|---|
| 88.5% | |
| Bing | 8.14% |
| Ecosia | 1.08% |
| Yahoo | 1.07% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.75% |
| Yandex | 0.28% |
Two readings matter. First, Bing is not marginal: 8.14% is roughly one search in twelve. Second, StatCounter lists only six traditional engines for Belgium. It does not break out AI assistants, so these numbers describe classic search, not the whole way people look for information today. Treat them as a floor for non-Google behaviour, not a ceiling.
What are the top 10 search engines to know in 2026?
The top 10 search engines for a Belgian business are six engines measured by StatCounter, three alternatives worth knowing and one AI engine. Several of them share the same underlying index, which is what matters for your optimisation work.
| Engine | Where its results come from | Share in Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Its own index | 88.5% | |
| Bing | Its own index | 8.14% |
| Ecosia | Bing, with a partnership announced with Qwant to build a European index | 1.08% |
| Yahoo | Bing, as it no longer runs its own crawler | 1.07% |
| DuckDuckGo | Its own crawler plus many other sources, including Bing | 0.75% |
| Yandex | Its own index | 0.28% |
| Brave Search | Its own index, independent of Google and Bing | Not published |
| Qwant | Its own index, supplemented by Bing | Not published |
| Startpage | Historically Google, with Bing among its partners since 2023 | Not published |
| ChatGPT Search | OpenAI's crawler, plus Bing data in part | Not published |
Add up the Bing-powered engines: Bing, Yahoo and Ecosia together account for about 10.3% of Belgian searches, before counting DuckDuckGo and Qwant. That is a better measure of what "optimising for Bing" really reaches. The conclusion for your work is practical: one well-indexed site in Bing serves several engines at once.
How do AI search engines choose their sources?
AI search engines do not rank ten blue links: they run several searches, pick a handful of pages and quote them. Each one has its own selection mechanism, and only some of them are documented. The table summarises what we could verify.
| AI engine | How it picks sources | Priority action |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Search | OAI-SearchBot crawler, plus Bing data in part; OpenAI has not published the mix | Allow OAI-SearchBot and be indexed in Bing |
| Microsoft Copilot | Grounding queries run on Bing | Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools |
| Perplexity | PerplexityBot surfaces and links sites; Perplexity-User fetches pages for a given question | Allow both bots in robots.txt |
| Google AI Mode | Query fan-out across Google's index; the page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet | Keep your standard SEO strong |
| Gemini | No public documentation found on its source selection | Rely on Google SEO basics |
Google is explicit that there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special optimisation. That is good news: the SEO foundations still carry the weight. Perplexity, for its part, states that PerplexityBot is meant to surface and link sites in its results, not to train models. For the full comparison between classic and generative optimisation, read SEO vs GEO: key differences and how to combine both.
Why should a Belgian SME not optimise only for Google?
Because the cost of adding Bing and AI engines is low, and the risk of ignoring them is growing. Four reasons stand out.
- Bing reaches more than its own share. Yahoo and Ecosia use its results, which brings the Bing-powered total above 10% in Belgium.
- AI assistants lean on Bing. Copilot grounds its answers in Bing, and ChatGPT Search relies on it in part. A page missing from Bing is unlikely to be cited.
- Alternative engines have their own audiences. Ecosia, DuckDuckGo and Brave position themselves on ecology or privacy, which may match your brand.
- Diversification protects you. A drop in a single engine's visibility is less dangerous when you are present on several.
None of this removes the need for Google. It means adding a few steps on top, not starting over. Our complete GEO guide for SMEs explains how to structure those steps.
Bing AI search tips: how to be visible on Bing and Copilot
Bing AI search tips boil down to being indexed first, then being easy to quote. Microsoft published its recommendations in October 2025 and states that no formula guarantees inclusion in AI answers. Here is what we apply for clients.
- Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools. Import it from Google Search Console in a few clicks, then check that your sitemap is listed.
- Use IndexNow. It tells participating engines as soon as a page is added, updated or deleted.
- Open with a direct answer. Give one or two self-contained sentences under each heading, then develop.
- Align title, H1 and meta description. Microsoft says consistent alignment improves discoverability.
- Add structure. Use lists, numbered steps, comparison tables and FAQ markup in JSON-LD.
- Keep key content in HTML. Do not leave answers only in PDFs, images or hidden tabs.
Then measure. Bing's AI Performance report shows the pages Copilot cites and the grounding queries it used. We explain how to read it in our Bing Webmaster Tools guide.
Where should an SME start?
Prioritise by effort and return, not by novelty. Our order of work for a typical Belgian SME is:
- Week 1: Verify the site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and submit the sitemap to both.
- Week 2: Check that robots.txt does not block Bingbot, OAI-SearchBot or PerplexityBot by mistake.
- Weeks 3 and 4: Rewrite your five most commercial pages with direct answers, clear headings and structured data.
- Month 2: Read the AI citation reports, list the missing topics and plan new content.
If you are not sure where your site stands, a complete SEO audit gives you the baseline in a structured way.
FAQ
What are the most used search engines in Belgium?
In October 2026, StatCounter ranks Google first with 88.5% of searches in Belgium, then Bing with 8.14%, Ecosia with 1.08%, Yahoo with 1.07%, DuckDuckGo with 0.75% and Yandex with 0.28%. Figures cover all platforms and exclude AI assistants.
What are the top 10 search engines?
For a Belgian business, the top 10 search engines to know are Google, Bing, Ecosia, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Brave Search, Qwant, Startpage and ChatGPT Search. The first six are measured by StatCounter in Belgium, while the last four have no published Belgian share.
Which search engines use Bing results?
Yahoo and Ecosia take their results from Bing. Qwant supplements its own index with Bing, and DuckDuckGo draws on several sources, including Bing. Microsoft Copilot grounds its answers in Bing queries, and ChatGPT Search relies on Bing data in part.
Do ChatGPT Search and Perplexity replace Google in Belgium?
No, not in the data we found. StatCounter does not break out AI assistants, and Google still holds 88.5% of classic search in Belgium. AI engines complement Google by answering questions directly, so you should be citable by both rather than choose one.
How do I appear in Copilot answers?
Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools, keep your sitemap current and use IndexNow. Write pages with direct answers, descriptive headings, lists, tables and structured data, and keep key information in HTML. Microsoft states that no formula guarantees inclusion, so measure results regularly.
Should I block AI crawlers in robots.txt?
Only if you accept disappearing from the matching AI answers. Blocking OAI-SearchBot removes you from ChatGPT Search, and blocking PerplexityBot from Perplexity. Search crawlers and training crawlers are different, so decide separately for each one, and check your robots.txt after every site change.
Key takeaways
- Google dominates Belgium at 88.5% in October 2026, but Bing holds 8.14%.
- Bing, Yahoo and Ecosia together account for about 10.3% of searches.
- AI engines select sources differently, and only some mechanisms are documented.
- Optimising for Bing is the cheapest extra step, and it also feeds Copilot.
- Measure citations, not only clicks: the reports exist, and they are free.
What next? Do you know which engines send you visitors, and which ones cite you? We can answer both in a free audit of your SEO and GEO visibility, with a clear priority list. Discover our SEO services or contact us to book your audit.
About the author
Timothy Jacqmin is co-founder of Nexuro Digital, a digital marketing agency and Official Odoo Partner in Belgium. He helps companies with their SEO, their Odoo upgrades and their visibility in AI engines. LinkedIn profile · About us
Sources
- StatCounter Global Stats, Search engine market share in Belgium, October 2026
- Ahrefs, Alternative search engines to Google
- Google Search Central, AI features and your website
- Perplexity, Perplexity crawlers
- Yoast, What is ChatGPT Search (and how does it use Bing data)?
- Microsoft Advertising, Optimizing your content for inclusion in AI search answers, 8 October 2025
- Search Influence, Inside Bing's new AI Performance report, 2026
- IndexNow, Documentation
