Mediapost said the Efficient Frontier numbers show the search engine pulled in 74.5 per cent of total outlay on internet marketing services between October and December, up from 73.9 per cent in the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, Yahoo! attracted 20.4 per cent of search marketing budgets, down from 20.9 per cent in the three months to September.

Bing’s share of search engine marketing spend dipped from 5.3 per cent in Q3 to 5.1 per cent in Q4.

Mediapost said the retail sector drove spending on search engine marketing in the fourth quarter, as online stores geared up for the Christmas period. The industry’s outlay on internet marketing grew by 17 per cent during the quarter.