Bing is Making a Splash on the Web
Posted by Brett Pringle on 17 Jun 2009 | Tagged as: Search Engine News
Microsoft’s Bing is actually doing really well at the moment, despite predictions of a fate similar to that of Microsoft Live. The search engine is being described as a decision engine. Statistics from Hitwise in the UK, as well as the USA/Canada region, have indicated that Bing is making waves. It is catching up to Yahoo! and reactions from techies and average users alike are mostly positive.
Having said that, will Bing be a passing fad or will it actually make inroads in Microsoft’s titanic battle with Google, and what, if anything, will this mean for SEO or DEO – “Decision Engine Optimisation” for Bing?
All of Bing’s features are only available in the US at the moment, which is a pity for the rest of us who will have to wait a bit longer to see what all the fuss is about.
What are some of the positives?
First let me state that Bing is not just a rebranding of Microsoft Live. It is actually a search engine, excuse me … a decision engine with some novel features and in some aspects is actually better than Google, as opposed to almost as good as Google.
Bing’s image and video search functions are awesome and better than Google’s at present. Bing’s image search features include sorting by image size and layout, as well as illustration versus picture. The travel engine has also been favourably received.
What does it mean for the search industry?
SEO or DEO for Bing differs in some key areas in comparison with Google.
Stephen Kersey of Bizzia provides some answers as to what Bing values:
-Domain age: Domain age is very important to Bing. If Bing catches on, some marketers may choose to purchase older domains.
-Titles: Bing values good titles that provide a good description of the contents of that particular page.
-Outbound links: This one is generally a big no-no for SEO’s for fear that PR will be negatively affected; search engines typically focus on inbound links.
Should I change my SEM strategy?
It is far too early make any changes to your SEM strategy. Google is still miles ahead of Bing and it is not worth making any drastic changes just yet. However, it should be on the periphery of every SEO’s vision.
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Balmer is aware that Bing is not going to make giant inroads overnight, and says, “It’s going to take us a while; it’s a five-year task”.
So, make a note in your diary and check on Bing’s progress. Things may start changing in a year or two -you never know, it could 
