Blind Search Engine Test, Bing and Ping, Canada goes Bing
Three interesting developments from the world of search.
Blind Search Engine test to see what you REALLY prefer
First, we have the Blind Search Engine site.
It basically puts results from Google, Yahoo and Bing side by side and lets you choose what you like best.
On July 31st, 2009 the Delicate Genius put up results after 8 weeks for what search engine people voted for -
- Google 41%
- Bing 31%
- Yahoo 28%
That’s really surprising since for me it was probably 70% Google and 30% Bing. For some reason never found a very good Yahoo result.
Canada goes Bing
Arnold Zafra at Search Engine Journal reports that Bing beat Yahoo and Google in Success Rate i.e. users were more often able to find the results they wanted when they used Bing -
So based on Hitwise’s August data on search market share in Canada, Bing enjoys a 78% success rate, followed by Yahoo’s Canadian search portal and its US search portal. Both Google’s main search portal and its Canadian search portal lags behind Bing and Yahoo.
While this might mean that Bing is providing more relevant SERPs we must also consider the fact the Canadian consumers may actually be using the Bing cashback program
Very valid point on CashBack – On deal sites like Red Flag Deals there are lots of links pointing to Bing CashBack and those people are more likely to know exactly what they are looking for.
Bing and Ping
Taking feature titles into the dimension of the absurd aside, Bing’s new feature is very promising.
It basically lets you share your search results with your friends. The Bing Blog describes it well -
Bing & Ping lets you share search query answers through various places, like Facebook, Twitter, or even email in as few as two clicks. Share a neighborhood plumber recommendation with a friend though email, tweet local movie times, or post a flight status with your Facebook pals while you’re trying to bum a ride from the airport.
If you’re interested in previewing this feature, be sure to become a fan of our Facebook page.
Adding a social dimension to search is critical as some of the most trusted sources for information and purchase advice are our close friends and family and including them in the search process and/or letting them easily see what we’ve found is great.
Focusing on Facebook and Twitter is great as those are the two social sites Google will be most reluctant to add to its own search results.
This actually also goes very well with the whole concept of Bing being a decision engine and not a search engine.