Bing has recently found a way to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with by partnering with the ever-popular social networking site, Facebook. The new alliance with Facebook is proving to have a strong competitive advantage over other search engines, which are now all realizing the importance of social integration within search results.
Bing has launched new TV commercials which are cleverly played out, displaying the benefits of using their search engine over others, most notably Google. These “Bing and Decide” ads show how your friends’ opinions on Facebook will carry over into your Bing search results by placing highly “liked” items by your friends at the top of the search engine page. The idea behind the alliance was to create a more personal online search experience, which allows you to reference your friends’ social activity and interests on Bing to attain more trusted recommendations and ideas. We haven’t seen much public retaliation from Google yet, so we will have to sit tight and see how they plan to compete with this brand new power couple.
Google has always maintained authority over other search engines because of their ability to gain and manage a slew of network servers efficiently. Though Bing is using the Facebook angle in attempt to gain more users, they ultimately have to beat out Google’s management skills, which have proven to be superior. At the same time, Bing’s newfound popularity is raising the issue of consumer needs in the Web 2.0 age; what do people look for in their search engine results? Now being tied to such a popular social network, Bing is prompting other search engines to improve their social integration.
Google’s social approach may not be as obvious as Bing’s, but it does exist. Bing’s new alliance with Facebook is so appealing because it puts focus on the “like” button. Adding the “like” influence into search engine results amplifies a new social level in online search, as well as simplifies the decision process for consumers. Their friends’ trusted opinions are put right in front of them. By contrast, Google aggregates users’ search results with shared content from social networks that have already been linked to individual accounts. Google developers have taken the route to develop their own tools to implement social sites, while successfully keeping them separate from businesses. Their social alliances are not as easily recognized because they only extract content, while Bing is directly showcasing a major social network. Though Google has maintained a strong alliance with Twitter, Bing’s flashy partnership with Facebook may have sparked the need for other search engines to officially bind themselves to a particular social network in a similar way.
This Bing-Facebook alliance has not made the search engine number one, but it has pushed it into the forefront, making it a more considerable and likeable option for consumers. Bing was smart to make the connection that consumers have similar interests to their friends, so it would be beneficial to use that consumer generated information to get more narrowed results. The user gets a personally catered result page, and reassurance that their friends approve on whatever the subject may be, from movies, to shopping, to restaurants, etc.
So, has Bing found a way to get at Google? Many would argue yes, but it may not be obvious to consumers. Google is still the number one search engine in the world, but many wonder if this is the beginning of the Bing era, and a new platform for SEO. Do you think Bing’s innovative social integration is enough to surpass Google’s popularity?
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