Can Bing Out "Google" Google?

Microsoft's Bing Search Engine (ahem, Decision Engine) has an interesting test going on this month to persuade search engine users to give their Bing search engine more serious consideration.

If the results reported by the independent study are right and users really do have a preference for Bing's results the majority of the time (and are persuaded to give Bing more of their searches) this would be really healthy for the Marketing Industry, in my opinion. Try the Bing It On challenge for yourself.

Why is Bing's Success Important?

• At 66%-68% share, Google has a dominant market position and has recently shown brazen moves to alter organic search results (all in the name of quality and relevancy, of course)
• A recent study by WordStream, "The War on Free Clicks", shows that Google is decreasing the amount of "real estate" on page devoted to organic search results in favor of paid results (for which Google increases its own revenue stream)
• A growing, viable competitor will keep innovation at the forefront and keep Google's monopolistic moves in check, benefiting Consumers (Searchers)

Are Bing's Results really better?

In my tests of the Bing it on challenge I saw mixed results, alternatively choosing Google or Bing by 3-2 margins. As a result, I can't say conclusively that Bing is better (100% of the time), but certainly it seems Bing has reached parity with Google, and has the advantage in many cases -- something they couldn't legitimately say 12 or 24 months ago. I personally will be using Bing more then I have to this point, as I love the amazing photographs they update daily on the Bing.com screen.

To Learn More on Bing's Challenge

1. Watch the Bing-produced video (below), 2. read Chris Crum's excellent article, "Are Bing’s Results Better Than Google’s?" and 3. take the Bing It On Challenge for yourself.

An excerpt from Chris' article on WebProNews:

According to Bing, people “chose Bing web search results over Google nearly 2 to 1.” Notice they said “Bing Web search results over Google,” rather than just “Bing over Google”. More on that later.

Also notice, they said “chose,” and not “choose.” That’s because this is based on a study Microsoft commissioned, and may not reflect the results from users using BingItOn.com (although I’d be very interested to see how it turns out once they’re done with the campaign. Maybe they’ll show us that later).

A Bing spokesperson told WebProNews in an email, “Although most people identify themselves as Google searchers, an independent study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. shows people chose Bing Web search results over Google nearly 2-to-1 in blind comparison tests. Given those findings, Bing decided it is time to let people see for themselves that there is a better option in search.”

Read the entire "Are Bing’s Results Better Than Google’s? article.