Can Bing Really Compete With Google?

For search engines theses days there’s a clear frontrunner. Google have made it to the top of the ladder through good business decisions and an ethos that reassures users, making them feel free from manipulation and pleased with the service on offer. With Android OS for smartphones Google have also shown how they’re capable of branching into new, difficult areas.

It seems fair to ask if Bing, from Microsoft, stands any chance at all of competing with this impressive mainstay of the internet. It’s true that they’ve achieved success against the odds before, such as with the X-box game console, but they’ve also seen a decline in popularity of internet services such as hotmail and msn. This is due to glaring support issues with hotmail – a stark contrast to Googlemail’s reliability.

Bing has been described as a ‘decision machine’ rather than as a search engine. Really, this is just semantics; whatever the applications of its thumbnails when highlighting search results, or suggested searches for uses, it’s really just a search engine with slightly different display features rather than a new animal altogether. But the branding is good – taking a leaf from Apple’s book by making things chic and easy to use, so Microsoft seem optimistic they can win over people on that front.

So can these gimmicks tear people away from Google? Probably not. Bing is at a disadvantage, and without a major shift in the internet world they’re not set to make any ground. One option could be allowing Chinese simplified characters to be used on Bing, ending the blockade of China from the faster search engine world after their attack on Google, but this would be illogical – giving the appearance of condoning China’s attack, and also being downright un-American. Speaking of values, Bing have also found trouble with their thumbnails option, as it displays explicit material despite filters. In response they’re made an ‘explicit Bing’ option, which sounds about as sordid as it is.

Whether it can improve to match Google, and surpass them in the hearts of users, is another matter. But Microsoft have enough resources to throw at the endeavour to at least give them the chance to compete.

SEO London can improve rankings on both Bing and Google