Google is the dominant search-based advertiser in the world, but the company is finding it difficult to establish itself as a search player in Russia, in part because of the complexity of the Russian language, and because - Sergey Brin notwithstanding - Russians prefer to stick with their own.

Google, which entered the Russian market only three years ago, is seriously trailing local search engines in the country, the New York Times reports. In fact, Google barely cracks the Top 10 in sites visited in Russia; comScore Networks says 28 percent of Russian internet users visited Google sites in October, putting Google in eighth place.

Google's slow start in the Russian search market has allowed local players to build their brands; moreover, the local technologies - and talent - are likely as good as, perhaps better than, Google's. Eventually, the search giant may find that its best bet in might be to acquire one of the leaders in Russian search.

But Google has almost always preferred to compete with its own offerings. And its site is nevertheless showing growth in Russia. Local research firm Comcon says the number of internet users who visit Google's Russian site has doubled since the end of 2003.