Microsoft’s new search engine Bing has been grabbing headlines since its official launch on June 3. Expected to rival search engine giant Google, Bing is gaining popularity and, according to recent comScore Networks data, is boosting Microsoft’s market position.
So what makes Bing the new search engine darling? Is it the friendly user interface or the new Explorer Panel that lets you refine searches? Or is it the Quick Previews feature? Perhaps Bing simply offers a better search engine experience than Google?
According to a study by BlindSearch, a Web site that tests search engines, Google’s search results were favored more among voters. However, similar trials and user feedback show Bing is gaining popularity with Internet users for its friendly user interface and design.
Other users say the two search engines are not that different from each other. For instance, after several days of testing Google and Bing, Rob Pegoraro, columnist with the Washington Post stated, “I started not noticing which site I was typing my query into, since they both seemed to do about as well.”
With all the varying opinions, it’s hard to decipher who is winning the search engine race, Bing or Google? One thing is clear; this debate is dominating the news and continues to be a popular topic with media more than a month after Bing’s release. From a PR perspective, the controversy between the two search engines provides a compelling story for media. Bing is proving itself a worthy contender for reporters to pit against Google – and will no doubt once again prove that that healthy competition between brand-name companies can make great news.
Prominent news outlets, such as CNN, Forbes, Reuters, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, have all covered the news as well as industry publications including CNET, eWeek and ZDNET. PC World wrote a search engine round-up titled, “Bing vs. Google vs. Yahoo: Feature Smackdown,” with a wrestling match play-on-words.
It will be interesting to watch the debate continue as hype surrounding Bing’s release begins to slow down. While the current attention on Bing and Google remains high, the media is already shifting the focus from Bing’s benefits to Google’s reaction to Bing. Examples of this shift can be seen in articles in outlets such as the New York Post, Reuters and Media Post.