Bing US Market Share Hits 9.9%

Topic:

Apparently those rumors of Bing declining in September weren't true after all. Microsoft's assault on Google has continued unabated through the Fall and the Bing search engine can now claim almost 10% of the U.S. search market share. (TechCrunch) ComScore reports that Google is also up, gaining .5% share this month, and 2.4% year-over-year.

Bing's growth since its launch in May is impressive, but it shouldn't be seen as a sign that Google is in any trouble. The fledgling 'decision engine' still has yet to nab any market share away from Google. Once more, its monthly gains have come at the expense of Yahoo, who is down 3% this year. Since Yahoo is already promised to Bing, these gains aren't quite as impressive as they sound.

Posted on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:25:41 CST | by Robert Evans

Microsoft Signs Bing Deal With Facebook, Twitter

Topic:

Microsoft made waves today with the announcement that they signed two separate, non-exclusive deals with Facebook AND Twitter. (All Things Digital) This deal will allow Bing to integrate a real-time feed of updates from both websites into the Bing search engine. The deal will be announced officially by Microsoft digital head Qi Lu later today at the Web 2.0 Summit.

Both Twitter and Facebook are also in talks with Google to provide a similar service, but no agreement has yet been reached. This marks the first time that data and services are available through Bing, but not through Google. At least, theoretically it does. Integration of both sites will take several weeks (if not more) to nail down. It's still possible for Google to sign an agreement and beat Redmond to the punch, albeit not likely.

Posted on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:33:12 CDT | by Robert Evans

Bing U.S. Search Share: Down In September

Topic:

Oh man, Steve Ballmer is not going to be happy about this. StatCounter (via eweek.com) just released their search stats from the month of September today. For the first time since its launch in June, Bing didn't make any gains in the U.S. search market. In fact, it dropped 1.1%, from 9.6 to 8.5.

This setback could be a sign that Bing has lost its novelty factor. Users have had a chance to try it, and most of them decided to head back to Google, which is probably why the search giant saw a jump in their share during September (77.8%-80%). This is what I've been predicting since Bing first hit market. Microsoft's search engine is cool, but it isn't revolutionary enough to tear users away from Google's familiar bosom.

Posted on Thu, 1 Oct 2009 12:11:42 CDT | by Robert Evans

Bing 2.0 ''Visual Search'': Microsoft's Ace?

Topic:

Yesterday, Microsoft unveiled Bing 2.0 (and it made the TechCrunch50) to the world. No, it didn't involve a series of hyped up commercials and a broken, buggy new program. What it did involve, is Silverlight technology and several big leaps of logic. Bing 2.0 is regular Bing, with a visual search option added. If Search Engine Land is right, it looks like a very useful little addendum.

In essence, visual search allows users to use images in order to sort through large piles of data returns easily. Sorting through text can be difficult and time-consuming, but you can tell which images fit and which don't at a glance. If you don't fully know what you're looking for, a visual search engine could be the fastest way to find it (or to at least figure out what it is you -aren't- looking for). Read more

Posted on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:00:42 CDT | by Robert Evans

Admob: Android Nabbing Market Share from iPhone OS

Topic:

Here's a spot of good news for fans of the little green robot. Admob just released their mobile metrics report for July (http://androidandme.com/2009/08/news/android-closing-in-on-blackberry-taking-share-from-iphone/'>via Android And Me) and things are looking pretty great for Android. Admob's surveys give us an idea of how large a percentage of website requests an individual OS is responsible for. The iPhone is the biggest name here, with 45% of the worldwide requests.

That number, however, is down 2% from last month, while Android has grown 2% in the same amount of time. The open source OS still only holds 7% of the market but, considering the fact that until very recently it only ran on a single handset, that's an impressive number. Right now, Android is in a dead heat with the RIM OS.

Posted on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:06:22 CDT | by Robert Evans

Help Test Caffeine, Google's Answer to Bing

Topic:

The war between Google and Bing has been raging for sometime now, and we've all been waiting to see when Google would finally respond to Microsoft's new “decision engine”. That day has come with the launch of the developer version of Caffeine, a next-generation search infrastructure built by Google to enhance the quality of their search results.

Google calls this the 'first step' in increasing the size, indexing speed, and accuracy of their search engine. This is not a UI change; Caffeine will do its work on a non-visible layer. Most users won't notice any difference in their daily use of the engine. Google is relying on web developers and power users to put Caffeine through its paces. If you're feeling adventurous, you can check out the developer preview here.

Posted on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:45:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Bing Draws First Blood

Topic:

It's official; Bing has stolen users from Google. A Reuters report yesterday states that Microsoft has increased its share of the U.S search market by 1% in July. This may not seem like much compared to Bing's gains last month, but it's actually quite substantial. This month marks the first time that Bing has gone head-to-head with Google.

Now that Bing is the search provider for Yahoo, the last substantial non-Google competition for Bing has fallen. The percent Bing gained this month came directly at the expense of Google, whose share dropped from 78.48 to 77.54% in July. Microsoft now controls a total 20.36% of the U.S search market.

Posted on Tue, 4 Aug 2009 14:40:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Steve Jobs: Back at Work, Snubbing CES.

Topic:

We've got some news that Apple's founder and often creative impetus, Steve Jobs, has been sighted doing his day-to-day work at the Apple campus for the first time since his return. Apple's stock jumped 2.52 a share at the news. A photograph of Jobs was snapped, confirming that Apple's founder is finally back in the saddle.

From what we understand, these days Jobs has been primarily concerned with putting the finishing touches on Apple's new iTablet, expected out either this Holiday seasion or early 2010. He's been a busy man, which might explain why he's ignored Gary Shapiro's requests for him to attend the 2010 CES conference.

Posted on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:50:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Microsoft Bing Yahoo Deal to be announced today

Topic:

The rumors that Microsoft's Bing will power Yahoo!'s search are supposed to become official today.
The deal would give Bing a search engine market share of 30% says AdAge. Google still of course leads with 65%, but Bing would now suddenly be a sizable player. Read more

Posted on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:59:22 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

'Bing' To Be Yahoo's New Search Engine?

Topic:

After months and months of on-and-off talks, Microsoft and Yahoo may be only a couple of days away from announcing a partnership. Sources close to Yahoo say that the deal is 'likely' to be announced this week. They expect that Microsoft and Yahoo will work out a revenue-sharing plan, rather than exchanging a big lump sum payment.

This agreement would make Microsoft's 'Bing' search engine the provider for all Yahoo users searching needs. Yahoo is currently the #2 market share holder in the U.S search market, coming in at just under 20%. If this agreement goes through, their traffic will be added to Bing's, giving the new engine a massive boost in both credibility and solvency. With close to 30% of the market in their hands, Microsoft would finally be able to give Google a real run for their money.

Posted on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:40:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Bing: Survey says, 'doomed'?

Topic:

It's easy to get caught up in events as you watch them unfold. The Google/Bing drama has been a story that's been difficult to look at from an objective position. Microsoft's 100 million dollar ad campaign has kept Bing in the public eye, and its early successes have peppered us with a string of positive reports about Bing's present and future. When you're hearing stories like that, it can be difficult to remember that Bing is less than two months old.

That's what Microsoft's betting on. That's why every Bing milestone has gotten so much coverage. Microsoft wants us to focus on what Bing is doing and not on what Bing is, a newcomer to the search engine market without the staying power or innovation to conquer Google. Those are the sad facts, and they're backed up by hard evidence.

Posted on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:30:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Bing: 13th Most Visited Site In The U.S.

Topic:

Once again Microsoft proves that, with enough money lining your pockets, you can achieve anything. The numbers are in from Bing's first month of existence, and they bode well for the new search engine's future. Complete.com, a U.S. Web traffic tracker, reports that over 49 million unique visitors viewed Bing over the course of its first month.

To give you some perspective, that puts Bing ahead of both Digg.com and Twitter. While Bing is still miles behind Google (over 145 million unique visitors in June) they are clearly off to an excellent start. It's pretty clear that something Microsoft is doing (whether it's the advertising or the quality of their engine is up for debate) is working.

Posted on Thu, 9 Jul 2009 13:30:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Google Versus Bing: Choose For Yourself

Topic:

The search engine war wages on. Microsoft is dropping millions in advertising and research to best Google, while Google has had to ramp up their R&D in order to stay ahead. Columnists and commentators have fallen in on both sides of the battle. Some favor the old Google standard, while others feel that Bing's additional functions give it the edge.

Looking at all this from the outside, it can be hard to decide which search engine to go with. You the user just want to know which product works better. And now you have a way to decide which engine you prefer, without having to read through reams of arguments or corporate propaganda. Google Versus Bing puts both search engines side-by-side and lets you choose which one you prefer based on practical experience.

Posted on Wed, 8 Jul 2009 16:35:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Verizon Signs 5 Year Bing Deal

Topic:

Microsoft has launched another daring assault as part of their ongoing war with Google. They've signed an agreement with Verizon to provide Bing to all Verizon customers. Bing will now come pre-loaded on Verizon phones, and the default portal for all of their browsers will contain a Bing search box.

This agreement was first announced back in January, before anyone even knew what Bing was. The actual partnership between Bing and VZW began last month, and Microsoft's search engine saw an enormous, immediate boost in traffic as a result.

Posted on Mon, 6 Jul 2009 14:20:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Users Like Bing More, But Still Prefer Google

Topic:

Microsoft's unprecedented advertising campaign to turn Bing into a household name continues on unabated. With Google weathering slings from the government and consumer advocacy groups, now is the perfect time for Microsoft to start making inroads. Right now, Bing holds steady as the third most popular search engine in the U.S, right behind Yahoo and miles away from Google. The question is, will it ever get big enough to yank the #1 spot out from under Google?

A new study from the Catalyst Group says...no, no it won't. They studied the surfing habits of 12 users and found that, after trying several search engines, 8 out of 12 wanted to stick with Google, primarily for reasons of comfort. The users were also asked to rate the search engines they used. Most of them rated Bing as the superior engine, but that didn't make them want to switch.

Posted on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:20:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Bing: Microsoft's 11 Billion Dollar Gamble

Topic:

For a three-week-old search engine, Bing is doing pretty well. They've managed to capture a substantial portion of the U.S. Search engine market. Enough that Google has been forced to sit up and take notice. Yet, despite all that, Bing is not yet a close to profitable venture for Microsoft.

The computing giant has poured between 80 and 100 million dollars into advertising for Bing. If you've spent any time on the Internet at all lately, you've noticed banner ads and Hulu commercials and all manner of promotion for the new search engine. And what we've seen so far is only the beginning. Microsoft's ad campaign has managed to work in the short term. When you bombard people with enough advertisements they are going to take notice. It doesn't necessarily work to keep them coming back in the long term, but it will get you a lot of curious short-term users.

Posted on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:10:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Bing Week 2: Growth Continues Unabated

Topic:

That $100 million advertising budget for Bing appears to be worth every penny. A recent study from comScore, Inc. shows just how well Microsoft's new search engine has done in its second week of business.

Bing's daily penetration among U.S. Search engine users has raised 3 points, up to 16.7%. Its share of search result pages is also up 3 points, to 12.1%. It's undeniable that Bing is growing. These numbers show that people are continuing to flock to the young search engine and that, so far, the early adopters they've gained are sticking with Bing.

Posted on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:15:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Bing VS. Google: Clash of the Titans?

Topic:

I've been keeping a curious eye on Microsoft's Bing search engine for a while now. I liked what I saw, but I still maintain that there just aren't very many features to distinguish Microsoft's new offering from tried-and-true Google. Apparently a lot of people disagree. Earlier this week the New York times posted an article that shows some impressive numbers coming from Bing.

Right now, barely two weeks after launch, Bing holds 11.1% of the U.S. Search engine market, and 15.5% of users have tried Bing at least a few times. That's a very solid early start for Microsoft and, although Bing is still young, it is at least showing some serious promise.

Posted on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:20:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

'Bing' Preview Live: Hands On Report

Topic:

Microsoft's new 'Bing' search engine doesn't go live until June 3rd, but a preview version is online right now. I hopped in and took Bing for a spin this morning. Here are a few of the things I noticed;

Posted on Mon, 1 Jun 2009 15:10:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Bing launched early

Topic:

The new Microsoft Bing search engine is online now marked as "Preview". You can test drive it now yourself. Microsoft initially said to roll out Bing fully on June 3rd, but it is available for you to use now.
Bing focuses on Shopping and Travel and tries to help you make better decisions.
My initial impression is that the relevancy and freshness for normal web searches is just not good. Microsoft is not pushing the general search capability of Bing, but of course it is offered. Read more

Posted on Mon, 1 Jun 2009 02:18:46 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Bing Review Round-up

Topic:

Microsoft officially announced Bing on Thursday. Several sites published reviews of the new Bing search aka decision engine. The overall verdict is mostly that Bing is a nice step forward for Microsoft, but not a Google alternative.
The Bing interface is neat and in many cases helps to quicker find what you are looking for or gives you more aspects of the results. For product comparison and shopping Bing is a good new tool to use. Read more

Posted on Fri, 29 May 2009 03:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr