Several Reasons Why Bing doesn't Match up to Google: Rebuttal!


In the world of technology, there is a battle raging on all fronts. From the Desktop, to the tv-top (consoles) to the cloud (Yay cloud!) to mobile and even search. Yes you heard me correctly, there is indeed a battle on the Search Engine front.

The Search Engine battle was forever a fight among one gargantuan competitor and a number of other skirmishers. In other words, no one else ever stood a chance. Not DuckDuckGo, not Ask, not anyone. Google, in a slight resemblance to the monopoly that Microsoft once had on the desktop side, has attained a monopoly on the search engine side and like Microsoft, Google too had stagnated for a while.

Enter Microsoft, with Bing, a second attempt at a search engine (Following Live Search) and a much wiser one at that. Since the first day Bing was introduced, one had the feeling that its aim was to break the norm that Google had established search engines to be. Microsoft didn't only talk the talk, by Christening Bing a decision engine, they also walked the walk as well, by actually moving towards making Bing a delightful tool in one's decision making process.

For as long as I could remember, Google was always just a plain, no-personality, no-frills search tool with coverage of a massive amount of data (having the head-start they had, that was expected). But Bing literally turned the search engine arena upside down. Don't believe me? continue to read on. Bing did so in a number of ways, they are as follows:

  • It was the first search engine that focused on making search a beautiful and delightful experience. The trademark Bing Photo of the day was there quite a while before Google's redesign and doodle campaign
  • The first to introduce infinite scrolling and a refreshed photo grid for image search
  • First to introduce the ability to advanced filter images (Color, size etc)
  • Ability to find multiple sizes of one image from the same dialog
  • First to introduce dynamic search hubs, which are generated based on what you search for. Whether sports, an artist, city, a hub will give you a lot deeper info that Googs knowledge graph. (Google response sometime after is the "Knowledge graph"--Which Mutual Core gets mistaken with Google Now cards)
  • A new more modern method or algorithmic graph for search. Something Google responded to with their own Project _____ (The name fails to resurface on my memory)
  • The first to start curating data on a variety of topic and featuring a couple every week. Afterwards they disappear out of sight, so I have a feeling they're up to something really special (Maybe something Siri/Now-like).
  • First to reward people for searching
  • First to integrate 3rd party services into the search engine (Started with the purchase and integration of Farecast and expanded with the integration of Qwiki, Quora, Linkedin, Twitter etc etc)
  • First to enable hover-to-preview videos in the search results
  • First to offer indoor maps of malls, entertainment arenas
  • First to integrate flight booking

(All points might not be fully accurate but I can vouch that most are as I've been following Bing since the inception.)

A lot of the things you see on Google now, are a response to the stiff competition they've gotten from Bing. So if Bing is not a worthy adversary and a viable alternative why would Google be doing what it's doing now? (Including jacking some of Bing's features?)

And while it may seem (and be true to some extent) that Google's search features (aka Knowledge graph) are superior to Bing, remember that this is a constant battle and that was Google's move. Now expect Bing to make another lunge at providing excellent decision making experiences (As their superb Social Search integration shows). The real conclusion to this is that Bing and Google are both capable of doing some things better than the other and that Google minus Bing = Archaic method of searching.

In response to Mutual Core's (Who ought to be more careful with how he explains stuff) diatribe here:

#1 - Basic search results are not as accurate. When I search for part #s or error codes, Google always has the most relevant stuff at the top. With Bing it's usually at the bottom of the page.

Opinions may vary. But I having used Bing predominantly for a while now can say that the results are accurate, much like Google's. The only items I might search for on Google now and then, are repair instructions and troubleshooting stuff, since Google has been around longer. Bing is superb for current events such as news and travel and shopping.

#2 - Google Now cards. These are a game changer. When you search for a person/place, Google presents a full profile card with photos on the right hand side. Bing does not have this.

Bing has the same hubs as I referred to above. Much more in-dept than Cards knowledge graph.

CLICK TO SEE GIFs in ACTION (Somehow they won't work here )




#3 - Sports results. If I input an athlete or team, Google will give me their most current results at the very top, Bing does not do anything.

I did yesterday and Google won 5/5 rounds

Bing does do sports results, but not for all sports. That's because most of Bing is currently America-Centric. But you can bet your bottom dollar that this is about to change and will do so rapidly with Windows 8 and Phone 8 coming out.