A lot of words have already been written about Microsoft’s Bing. The team behind Bing apparently hope that it will eventually challenge Google for international supremacy in the battle of the search engines. Currently, Bing is languishing behind Yahoo!, but there are those who predict that Bing has the potential to become a much bigger player. In the SEO community it is imperative to keep a close watch on developments to avoid being taken by surprise by a shift in the search environment. Research and monitoring is a core component of effective search engine optimization.

At Searchengineoptimization.co.uk we keep our ears to the ground to discern what is likely to happen in the sphere of search. This permits us to devise and implement strategies which are tailored to the individual site and adjusted in line with the shifting imperatives of the external context.

Bing seems to be deficient when it tries to compete with Google for two main reasons. Firstly, Google provides swift, accurate and relevant responses to queries time after time. It is simply excellent at what it does. Secondly, Google’s enduring excellence and impressive public relations means that it commands an awful lot of loyalty around much of the globe. On these two criteria, Bing is second best by quite a long way. However, Bing is already significant enough for it to be considered in some SEO plans. Furthermore, Bing has certain features which mean that it may be able to make relative progress down the track.

One commentator identified certain features which Bing possesses that Google does not. While these ‘add-ons’ are no substitute for being an excellent search engine, they can be mentioned in publicity and they do form specific advantages for some users. For example, some users might be impressed by features like Bing Cash back. This is like a reward card system which gives benefits to those who make certain purchases after searching for products via Bing. Travel Insight is somewhat similar in that it is meant to highlight trends in the price of airline tickets and could potentially contribute slightly to the wealth of certain users. Bing is not just trying to make progress via the cash nexus because it is also trying to make moves via real time search with Twitter and by visual search. It is hard to discern what impact Bing’s diverse tactics will have. Perhaps its best prospects are related to deals in relation to mobile search.

As Bing is making such concerted efforts to make headway on a variety of fronts, predicting outcomes is especially problematic. It is impossible to know to what extent the advertising and other efforts will be sustained. Moreover, Google is not waiting idly by to be overtaken. Bing should really focus on being better at its core job as a search engine. Many users will not believe it is a “decision engine” if it does not provide search results to the standard which its larger rival does. Google has defeated many challengers, so Bing will have its work cut out.

When MSN first launched Bing, nobody expected it to be a serious leader in the search engine stakes. Granted, MSN are a successful company and previous MSN search engines have proved popular. However, with us seeing Google overtake the likes of Yahoo in the popularity stakes, it was debatable as to whether there really was enough room in the world for yet another search engine. Whilst arguably still not as popular as the likes of Google, Bing is nothing if not persistent, and MSN are really pushing their ‘decision engine’ as hard as they can – and it appears to be working.

So how does Bing differ from the likes of Google? Well, if you put the same search words into both Google and Bing, then you get very similar results. If your search is very specific, perhaps for a company, then the top results are likely to be the same. It is when you have more of a vague search that you begin to notice the difference in your search results. Google will tend to bring you some micro blogs or news pages, as well as actual company websites, whereas Bing does tend to favour actual company sites. This is where the phrase ‘decision engine’ comes in, as Bing is apparently giving you a more accurate and relevant search.

Of course, Google is working on personalised searches, and if it can get this right then we will see a positive change in the future of our search engine optimization. Bing makes no secret of the fact that it is a very ethical search engine, and leans more towards established websites and focuses on relevance.

The positioning of Bing within the web should not be underestimated. Yahoo, for example, is an obvious direct competitor of Google. Bing is not. Being part of the MSN homepage, as opposed to just a search engine page, is a smarter technique than people may often think. A lot of people may have Google as their homepage; however, people will spend more time on MSN reading news or celebrity gossip. If there is a search engine box right there on the same page as the news you are reading, then you are more likely to use this than redirect yourself to another search engine homepage.

Let us not forget that MSN still have that gem of an email system called Hotmail. Not as popular for businesses anymore – due to email delivery issues and attachment problems – but still an extremely popular choice for personal users. When a user logs out of hotmail, they are automatically directed to the MSN homepage, and the home of Bing. So again, the search engine has been brought to you, rather than you having to go and find it. Any SEO company will be aware of this tactic, so bear it in mind when optimising your websites.

With all the above positive points and the national advertising campaign Bing launched earlier this year, it is obvious this search engine means business, and is not going to let Google walk all over it.

As the future of the sphere of search is uncertain, it might be considered foolish to speculate about the prospects of a specific search engine. However, a SEO company has to be alive to emerging challenges and thus has to consider various possible scenarios when planning strategies for its sites. Furthermore, it is only natural that individuals should engage in debate about potential future developments in an economic sector which is rapidly changing due to technological innovation. Moreover, if a development in an industry has attracted plenty of publicity it is guaranteed to get individuals talking. For these reasons, the possibility of Bing making further inroads into the search engine market is still a live SEO topic.

Bing went online in its fully-fledged form back in June 2009. There was then some rather loose talk (in the sense of being premature) about Bing emerging as a serious contender for Google. Google has been the dominant search engine on a global basis for many years, although its popularity does vary from nation to nation. Google’s users appreciate a diversity of its features and qualities; many of them are now very loyal to the firm. Since Bing’s launch, evidence of its relative progress has been inconclusive. It is currently difficult to ascertain whether or not it will ever have the impact its architects hoped for.

There is no consensus amongst the search engine optimization community about when and if Bing will emerge as a genuine competitor to Google. Some experts believe that Bing’s efforts to cooperate with social networking sites may make it a force to be taken seriously. Bing did not come straight out of a blue sky as it followed on from a previous Microsoft-backed search engine which was behind Google and Yahoo! for a considerable time period. Bing is now in pretty much the same position. However, Bing has not slipped into obscurity and several independent individuals would like it to prosper and keep pressure on Google to maintain its impressive record of innovation.

While precise figures fluctuate over time and in any case vary depending on location (if the statistics are not international in scope), it is possible to get snapshots of how the various search engines are doing in their quest for hegemony. The figures show that Bing has been sneaking up on Yahoo! since its launch. Bing has even contrived to get a little closer to the mighty Google. Sometimes trends in the United States are an indicator of what will happen elsewhere. In February 2010, comScore indicated that Bing had attained an 11.5% share of the US market.

Google is still pretty much where it is accustomed to being positioned in the world of search. However, it must remain vigilant if it is to maintain its comfortable location. Perpetual innovation will probably keep it well ahead of Bing, but it is still too early to really tell in what direction Bing is headed. It possesses some high quality features, but it will arguably have to raise its game if it is to ever become a genuine contender.

The spheres of search engine optimisation and social media optimisation clearly overlap and it is therefore essential for those involved in either field of activity to keep a close eye on developments in this area. However, the pace of change means that it can be easy to miss some of the crucial details unless monitoring is maintained at a high level. This is one reason why many clients choose to invest in high quality SEO services.

An example of a relatively recent development which requires further prudent monitoring is the increasing interaction between Microsoft and Facebook. These are two giants on the net and part of an adequate continuous search engine optimisation campaign is being aware of their shifting behaviour. Search engines have been increasingly focused on the delivery of real-time search, while social media networking sites have been pushing forward with search services. There is thus competition and collaboration in evidence in a complex situation.

Therefore the collaboration between Bing and Facebook is part of a wider trend, a deepening of an existing relationship. The Facebook user will have additional search capability, while Bing will benefit from contact with a colossal audience. This audience has been estimated, fairly recently, at approximately 400 million. In other words, it is a ‘win, win’ situation for the two corporations concerned. Hence it is possible that cooperation will be extended in the future if the results obtained from the experiment are satisfactory. This could bring about big changes in the world of search engines.

It has been suggested by some experts that Facebook users will benefit from the upgrading of the search facility on the site. This argument rests on the notion that the features Bing brings to the party will add a lot to the search experience under discussion. However, some Facebook users might not choose to use the opportunities for search on the site because they have more experience of using other major search engines. This loyalty to other search engines might also lessen the positive publicity that Bing acquires from the cooperation. While SEO should not ignore Bing, Google’s market share remains very impressive and many users are likely to continue to enjoy using Google.

It is clear therefore that it will be some time before the impact of the deal between Bing and Facebook can be measured in any meaningful way. It will also be difficult to ‘separate out’ the effect of the collaboration from the shifts in user activity due to other factors. From a scientific perspective, it may always be problematic to calculate the difference the interaction between the two players has made to the ‘game’ as a whole.

The future, then, is predictably uncertain. However, the potential commercial opportunities which can emerge due to these types of collaboration indicate that it would be foolish not to explore them. While the needs of each site are different, and sectors diverse, it is generally astute to keep up-to-date. Although Google might maintain its position, Bing has shown it is too significant to be ignored. The collaboration with Facebook merely underlines this fact and thus all should be taken into account by those thinking about social media optimization.

Since MSN decided to introduce us to the world of Bing, the world of search engines has become a different place. Whilst the likes of Google, Yahoo and Youtube still remain some of the most popular search engines used by the general public, Bing has provided us with a search engine with a difference. It could be argued that Bing is a slightly refined type of search engine, designed to give us specifically what we have asked for in a concise and clear manner.

You may or may not have heard Bing refer to themselves as a ‘decision engine’ as opposed to a search engine. MSN wanted to create something that was going to deliver the same positive features of the old windows live, plus more. Bing is kind of a cross between Google and Ask, and Bing’s main aim is to provide its users with a solution and answers as opposed to just a stream of links and tags.

When it comes to looking at link building strategies for Bing, you may need to take a slightly different approach as you would for the likes of Google and Yahoo. Granted, there are some tried and tested techniques that should always be followed and work across the board, but it can be worth adapting even a few key pages of your website to target Bing searches above any others.

Think of SEO link building for Bing a little like applying for jobs. You have your basic skills and experience which remain consistent, but you just need to tweak a few elements to make them relevant to each particular post you are applying for. That is all Bing is asking for, just a little consideration and co-operation into their search techniques.

Bing prides itself on recommending reliable and trustworthy web links and responds well to older domains and established web links. Bing also likes strong tags and links so try and have some really robust anchors which contain keywords that reflect the nature of your website and company. Creating easy to use links and tags which enable easier navigation around your site are favoured by the likes of Bing, so be concise and organised. Like all good search engine optimization, this helps the user as well as the search engines.

Originality is the key. Whilst all search engines frown upon duplicate copy and plagiarism, Bing really does like its original copy. Write your own SEO content from scratch as much as possible and make it interesting and detailed, without being too long winded. Relevance is more important than being up to date with Bing. Now, nobody is saying that Bing is old fashioned, however irrelevant waffle just because it is current will not be as appreciated as much as good and honest information and content.

Be cautious with your images and videos too. It is common knowledge that a search engine struggles to pick up flash files for instance, so when producing SEO content with Bing in mind, ensure any videos or images are clearly tagged and have defined headings with detailed links, otherwise your content may not be giving you any benefit with search engines.