Google versus Bing: The Ultimate Search Engine Battle

Today’s desktops and laptops are changing the way people shop, connect, and gather information online. The search engine showdown between Bing and Google is more like a modern version of Pepsi and Coke. What Bing has in its favor is the fact it is automatic in Internet Explorer, the biggest browser in the world. Both engines search the Internet and offer news, images, and information in readable formats. The search engine search landscape is changing.

Both Microsoft and Google have significantly improved the way each performs search for the last few months, applying various techniques to help consumers find what they are looking for. According to statistics from ComScore, Google remains as the search king, getting approximately 66% of searchers, in comparison to Bing with only 15 percent. One search engine is excelling at offering quick results while the other is trying to make its search social, offering information from friends in social networking sites. Experiment with your own notebook and find out which search engine reigns above all others.

Navigational Search

Since the Internet has no index for search, users rely on the search engines to look for specific websites, and pages within those sites. So how do these search engine giants measure up to the challenge of filtering irrelevant, junk websites and delivering the appropriate ones? When Google and Bing were both used to look for Obama’s official YouTube channel or the dosage Tylenol (infant), their top results were right. But the difference comes when you search the term “CDC flu vaccine information” on both search engines. Google’s top result showed a chart of the organization’s full data sheet about flu. However, Bing only offered a generalized CDC page containing information about flu.

Search Autocorrecting

While the results themselves are very important, the time it takes to get those results is also a crucial factor. Search engine innovations, such as refinements, autocorrect, and Google Instant are certified timesavers. Although the Google Instant feature is a welcome search aid, Bing became zealous in autocorrecting queries. Both Google and Bing automatically corrected wrong spellings but it seems that the latter went far on this experiment. When you search for “Obama’s YouTube channel”, Bing automatically includes the search results for “Barack Obama youtube TV”. But in all circumstances that Bing assumed what users wanted to look for, the results were pretty disappointing.

Search Snapshots

Bing’s search snapshot column doesn’t have a similar feature on Google. Oftentimes, Google shows map links to the right side of your search results. The new Bing is still on limited release, and snapshots are usually shown when users are searching for commercial data, such as restaurants, flights, and reservations.

Information Resources

Laptops, computers, and tablets have replaced dictionaries, encyclopedias, and books for everyone’s “to go resource” for answers. In general both Google and Bing handle queries with aplomb, offering a wealth of information on various topics. But it seems that Google has a significant edge. If you search for 2012 Oscar winners, Google brings you to a result page with no clicks required. The list of winners for key categories is already displayed atop search results. On the other hand, Bing brings you to the Oscar.com site as its top result, and you need to click through the site for complete information. So as it stands today Google wins over Bing in usability, relativity of search results and overall user experience and the position of Google as the biggest search engine remains unchallenged.

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