2 min read

Microsoft launch new Search Engine ‘Bing’ – Will it really change anything?

So Microsoft have launched their new search engine ‘Bing’ (currently in Beta ahead of the official launch on June 3rd  2009) and it looks good, usability is good, offers a few nice little features like the related searches , it even brightens up your browser with different photographic scene every day on the home page .. but will it really rival Google? bing logo Although the site looks good, feels good and works well its unlikely anyone will ever capture Google’s huge chunk of market share. The basic facts are that too many people use Google, are already comfortable with how it works and have no real reason to change. It’s like a household product, if you are already happy with it, the price is the same and does the job that it’s supposed to, why would you change? So many new search engines have arrived with their so-called mission to take on Google and they have all failed, being forgotten almost overnight. I remember last summer reading in the press about some former Google employees who launched ‘Cuil’. They had done brilliantly to raise so much awareness online and in the press at launch, but a year on and I must admit I had to look up their name whilst writing this blog (on Google of course). Word of mouth is the best marketing tool and if Bing can start attracting users and continue to stay in the news it has a chance of taking some of Google’s market share. But we must remember that Bing is simply a re-launch of Microsoft’s Live.com which was also their attempt to take some of Google market share.  It failed to even make a dent! As a consumer I actually quite like what I’ve seen so far of Bing’s usability. The ‘related search links’ for example appears to work better than to Google’s Suggest Tool as it makes refining searches easier and more relevant to the user’s search journey, particularly when looking for a product. This area of real estate in search listings also allows space for all sorts of future innovations. The design layout is clean and the snippets of content and sub links that appear on mouse over of listings allow you to establish whether you really want to click through to a site. The current US version of Bing also seems slightly ahead in terms of homepage layout with a left hand navigation providing easy access to news, shopping, image and video search. I also like the ‘what’s popular now’ search links and installing Microsoft Silverlight allows you to view photos and hotspots displayed before in the Bing homepage archive. Bing has massive backing in Microsoft and it would certainly be good for the search industry to have a new serious contender for traffic but the jury is still out on whether it will be a success. Only time will tell and if it doesn’t become an overnight phenomenon the question will then become how long are Microsoft prepared to keep trying? bing home page

Explore Our Services

DIGITAL PR 

Earn authoritative links and drive brand awareness with Digital PR

PAID SEARCH

Deliver instant traffic and revenue through Paid Search and Shopping

SOCIAL ADS

Reach new audiences and retarget existing ones on social channels 

CONTENT

Attract and engage website visitors with a well executed content strategy

Latest Blog Posts

Honchō Scoops Up Two UK Search Awards!

3 min read

Honchō Scoops Up Two UK Search Awards!

It’s official, we've added not one, but two shiny trophies to our awards cabinet! We’re over the moon to share that we’ve triumphed at the UK Search...

Read More
The Best Ecommerce Attribution Models for Your Brand

5 min read

The Best Ecommerce Attribution Models for Your Brand

Understand ecommerce attribution models which attribution models can maximise your marketing efforts and ROI.

Read More
The Role of Social Commerce in Ecommerce

3 min read

The Role of Social Commerce in Ecommerce

Explore how social commerce is changing the way we shop online, blending social interactions with digital commerce for a seamless buying experience.

Read More