Microsoft Bing Goes Head to Head with Google
Can Microsoft Compete in the Search Engine Wars?
Sep 29, 2009
Internet search engines have come and gone, and Google has reined as the king of the search engines for several years. Adding Google Adsense and gmail with spidered, personal, ads and monetizing the company made sense, and has worked out well.
Bing Search Engine Blings – That’s for Sure
Now, Microsoft has rolled out with a search engine called Bing to give Google a run for the money - or to try to chase and catch the online advertising dollars to be more exact. Bing went mainstream in the summer of 2009 with a high tech search platform with all the bells and whistles. Compared to Google, the Bing experience is definitely more high tech as far as the home page appearance appearance.
If internet searchers click to Google (or have that set as the home page), they get a general internet search page or a custom page (if set up) which is pretty simple and easy to follow and understand. That was the beauty of Google and why it caught on with tech geeks initially and then with the masses. Simple page. No clutter. Ranked search findings.
Bling, on the other hand, has a hip look. Online searchers can click and get a blast of internet whistles and bells. The site simply looks neat – like Rainbow flip-flops versus the dollar bobo brands.
Results – That’s What Really Matters When it Comes to Search Engines
Beauty is only skin deep as they say, and it is what’s underneath that counts. While Bing is making inroads to some extent, Microsoft certainly does not have the track record in terms of search that Google has built. Bing lacks experience in search and does not have the backlog Google boasts.
Searches on Bing and Google often come up with similar top results which suggests that Microsoft spent a lot of time observing Google and trying to match the Google algorithm. Catching the most popular pages is really a no-brainer, and both search engines do that.
It’s on the second, third, and beyond pages where the newer search engine, Bing, has the disadvantage and probably by design. After all, the search engine wars are all about making money, so the sites that nail the advertising clicks are going to rein regardless of the search function.
While Google does certainly have an invested interest in online purchases, Bing goes the extra mile. Just click on shopping without a history on Bing, and you will get purchasing suggestions like a camera with an easy link to press and buy. Yes. You get some rate information and pricing, but it is shake-and-bake shopping at Bing especially for first time visitors who are not even looking for high priced tech gadgets.
Does Google Need Competition?
It’s unfortunate when any one company gains the edge on online information, and Google has managed to do that. While other search engines are available, they definitely play second fiddle to Google now.
Yahoo and Dogpile have some fans, and Ask.com (previously Ask Jeeves) gets some traffic (in spite of branching out too thin with other projects), but the older search engines did not play the advertising card well enough to score while Google was building an empire.
In short, the bulk of all internet users count on Google for search, and online bloggers and web page owners count on Google for placement in the ever-changing Google sandbox (ups and downs in terms of web site placement). This, of course, means that Google has a lot of power and in a lot of sway as far as what surfers do and do not see online.
So, yes, Google does need competition and a quality content bar that does not stay steady and defined by a single company. While Google does what it does well, other companies could offer some options more appealing to some onliners.
Does Bing.com Have What it Takes to Go Head to Head with Google?
Microsoft has been a big dog in the computer field and has managed to rake in loads of money but often at the expense of consumers, so computer savvy geeks (in particular) are not inclined to support new Microsoft venture like Bing. After all, Microsoft is the company that markets new word processing software every few years requiring more out-of-pocket expenses and advanced technical skills to figure out the new button configurations and mostly unneeded extra Word tools.
While Bing does look great (and should when backed by a company like Microsoft), the slick look is not going to sell on-liners, and the focus on press-and-buy is not going to appeal to net savvy consumers. After all, it really is not about the journey. It is about the destination when it comes to online search and money on the online table.
That does not mean that Bing.com is going down the tubes. They have a powerhouse company and money backing the endeavor, but Microsoft will have to prove that they deserve online search traffic, and that (even after several months) is yet to be seen. Bing is, however, worth a look. It may take off and do well, but that is yet to be seen.
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