It might not be a Google-killer (yet), but Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing, is certainly raising hackles at the Googleplex. The New York Post reports that Google co-founder Sergey Brin is personally leading a team inside the company to analyze Bing’s search engine and make changes to Google’s search results as necessary. An unnamed source interviewed by the Post said, “Bing seems to be of particular interest to Sergey.”
The biggest threat to Google is a change in the behavior of the public; people will expect the search engine to do some of the work for them and to anticipate their needs. Bing’s “decision engine” does provide better search results than Google when it comes to its ability to help searchers narrow down what they are actually looking for. Search for “cell phone” on Bing, and it spits out a list on the left-hand side of deeper results related to cell phones: Shopping; Brands; Buying Guide; Providers; Plans; Accessories; etc. This makes it easy for searchers to find exactly what they are looking for in fewer clicks. The same search on Google leaves users to find their own way — not quite “search overload” as Bing’s ads suggest, but nonetheless Bing provides a stronger search experience for the user.
Google’s entire business plan revolves around text ads placed around search results. That search result for “cell phone” is stuffed with ads from wireless carriers like AT&T and Sprint, cell phone retailers, and even an iPhone ad. If Google has to put in “decision” links to compete with Bing, it will: 1) mess up Google’s page layout; and 2) potentially mess up the company’s massive search ad business — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
And so Google is in a bind. If it starts making changes in response to Bing, it is admitting that Redmond came up with a superior product. If it doesn’t make changes, more and more users could shift over to the “decision engine” — especially in areas like shopping, travel, health and local, those areas where Microsoft is especially concerned with improving results. Google is smart to start working on this problem now. Microsoft is no startup, and has plenty of talent, money and marketing muscle to throw at Google — plus, for now, maybe a better product, too.
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I’m very pleased with Google Search, but, now you’ve got my attention. I’m going to use Bing exclusively over the next one or two weeks in order to check it out.
All hot air. Microsoft has successfully branded themselves as ‘netards over the last 13 years whereas Google has stomped the competition. Big G will rebound this time too – after all they DO get the Internet.
Microsoft even screwed up the launch having allotted millions with Google snatching the new with the Google Wave. The perfect example of their survival skills.
Except people are still talking about Bing — and nothing has moved on the Wave front since launch.
Google are masters at acquiring an existing technology and magically turning it into vaporware for years to come. (GrandCentral comes to mind. I’ve had an account since GrandCentral’s beta and I still can’t recommend friends sign up, because there’s no sign up.)
Apparently now they’re just skipping the first step and making their own vaporware. This is markedly more cost effective, I’m sure. :)
Google needs to create their first tv commercial. But the way they operate seems to be working.
I heard there was a killer app called gtalk in 2004 and then finance, news etc. that was going to stomp competition. Just that, it didn’t. Google is a one trick pony – a very successful and profitable one trick. But, don’t count that it will always be as popular. Except for search, adwords/ad sense – google has two categories of products. 1. Vaporware and 2. Also ran. May be pretty soon ‘bing’ will return them as a separate categories when you search for ‘google products’ on bing.com. that would be funny though.
What about Gmail? Google Docs? Google Groups? Google Maps? Google Summer of Code? Google Android? Google Analytics?
Now, I’m pretty sure I don’t like how many areas Google has penetrated, but I don’t for a minute buy that they’re a one trick pony. Yes, they have one area they make a ton of money, and use it to finance a bunch of other really cool stuff. Yes, this should probably be something the DOJ should look at–taking their monopoly and using it to decimate entirely different markets, much like Microsoft a decade ago.
If all their products were vaporware and also ran, I’d be a lot less concerned about them. As it is now, they know a bit too much about where everybody goes and what everybody does online.
But so far they haven’t been abusive about their position of dominance, unlike some other players in the industry…
Bing Is Not Google. It sucks if you’re not trying to buy something.
Google Wave looks very, very cool, but it strikes me as being the “next big thing” for virus authors–what a cool way to distribute a malicious trojan!
I agree!
Except for search, ad sense and gmail, I can’t remember anything specially innovative coming out of google.
Since Bing delivers similar, if not better search results, I have also started wondering if the PageRank stuff is more hype than it really deserves. Bing delivering similar results shows MS has cracked the over-hyped secreat sauce of ranking alogorithms, if google had any – in reality.
Gmail ain’t no also-ran, that’s for sure. The best email experience out there. I prefer Google Reader to the others I tried (2 years ago), but understand why people use other readers. Their other products are either worthless or ‘could have been’ acquisitions. MS hasn’t actually innovated since who knows when and Bing is another example of the MS version of innovation: Let’s target the non-savvy users and pull the wool over their eyes. Who searches for just ‘cellphone’? Grandmas and 10 year olds, that’s who. Of course providing technology to people who don’t understand it is a great money maker and that’s how MS got to where it is today.
@Freelock
“But so far they haven’t been abusive about their position of dominance, unlike some other players in the industry…”
Except how Google deliberately lowers your page rank if you are a startup and go into a commercial discussion with them and they don’t like the terms they are getting.
Or abruptly cancels your AdSense account with no reason given and as a small publisher you can’t do a thing about it.
Google is no saint, just like any other tech behemoth out to make as much profit as possible for their shareholders.
I used Bing for perhaps 100 searches, none of them are better than Google.
Try this: http://blindsearch.fejus.com/
See how many times you can guess which one is Google.
I was surprised how many times I picked Bing.
I typed http://www.google.com/search into the address bar to find my real searches for comparison, and not some artificial ones. Of course the google links were off-color, so I cleared my history. A better place for non-artificial searches would be http://www.google.com/history
Not that impressed with bing. Though I like the concept of a search engine thinking ahead of my needs, i see cloned google results when I visit bing plus some additional content, which to be honest clutters the results.
I remember way back when people were saying that Alta Viata and Yahoo could not be uprooted in the search game. Google can easily be outdone. People have no loyalty and will jump to the next hottest party in town.
I think Google has a strong position in search and wont be easily moved. Google is smart if they are taking note of bing, that’s how you hold a position as a leader.
They should know, its how they took the lead in search to begin with and email and online marketing. All of these area’s were once lead by other companies and now Google leads them because they did it better!
As far as all of the talk about bing, Ive used it and I think people just want there to be an alternative to google so bad that they talk up any new thing in the search space.
Seems that the cuil search engine was going to kill google a year or so ago, lol cant even remember. And lets not forget the Microsoft Live Search, which lays beneath Bing, was supposed to be Microsofts big comeback in the search space a few years ago.
It will take more than talk. It will take do.
Interesting. I heard the same thing from couple of my friends last week….and so I have been testing out Bing.
I see results better and more organized especially for travel, shopping and image related stuff from Bing. Finally, I see MSFT coming up with something reasonably good in search quality compared to google instead of just doing some stupid Live or Seinfeld type marketing gimmicks! This is what they need….to keep innovating, listening to users and continuing the cycle of improvements, where I agree with the earlier alta vista comment.
Focus on the user / customer experience for your product, and let the results speak for themselves. Hopefully Qi Lu and team read / realise this.
Reporting on this sort of innovation and competition is great, but I have a serious problem with this piece of the article:
“Bing’s “decision engine” does provide better search results than Google when it comes to its ability to help searchers narrow down what they are actually looking for.”
Is there any proof / further evidence to support this? It’s quite the objective statement for what may be a subjective valuation. I tried my own test (which I admit has no meaning outside the searches I performed) and found Bing to be equal to or less relevant than Google. Perhaps it’s time for me to write up an article on how ineffective Bing is?
Interesting. I heard the same thing from couple of my friends last week….and so I have been testing out Bing.
I see results better and more organized especially for travel, shopping and image related stuff from Bing. Finally, I see MSFT coming up with something reasonably good in search quality compared to google instead of just doing some stupid Live or Seinfeld type marketing gimmicks! This is what they need….to keep innovating, listening to users and continuing the cycle of improvements, where I agree with the earlier alta vista comment.
Focus on the user / customer experience for your product, and let the results speak for themselves. Hopefully Qi Lu and team read / realise this.
P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!
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