Microsoft Will By no means Win the Search Engine Wars by Forcing Individuals to Use Bing

Bing is called the default search engine for Home windows, and never a lot else. Microsoft’s resolution? To forcibly set up a Bing search extension in Chrome for Workplace 365 ProPlus customers.

The corporate says that that is designed for enterprise and enterprise customers to seek out related office info immediately from the browser deal with bar, however everyone knows Microsoft is determined to get extra individuals utilizing its search engine. It sounds innocent, however right here’s why forcing individuals to make use of Bing gained’t assist Microsoft in the long term.

Bing has a foul observe document

Advertising jargon apart, the concept that Microsoft has with that is easy. By forcing enterprises and companies with Workplace 365 Professional Plus to make use of Bing, the general share and utilization of the search engine may enhance. Nevertheless, there’s one downside. Because it stands, Bing doesn’t have a superb observe document, and other people won’t wish to use it in any respect, even when compelled to it.

A report by TechCrunch in January of 2019 discovered that, at one level, Bing was offering actually problematic search outcomes. The search engine was offering customers with baby pornography, and different derogatory content material. An earlier report from How-To Geek in 2018 additionally revealed that Bing was suggesting racist imagery, significantly in relation to searches concerning these of the Islamic and Jewish faiths. That publication additionally discovered that Bing was suggesting some conspiracy theories when trying to find figures like former First Girl Michelle Obama.

Oh, after which there was the time the primary outcome for “Google Chrome” was citing a malware web site. Not a superb look.

These points have all since been corrected, however are significantly jarring. How can a search engine have been this dangerous? And why would somebody even trouble utilizing a search engine with a fame this dangerous?

Bing nonetheless has issues that have to be addressed

Quick ahead to right this moment, Bing nonetheless has a number of issues that have to be addressed, and the place Microsoft ought to put some additional consideration in direction of, as an alternative of forcing Bing down individuals’s throats. These embody each search relevance and design — the 2 core areas of any search engine.

To begin with, there’s a search relevance. In our testing, trying to find Digital Developments on Google and Bing present two totally different outcomes. On Bing, we get a take a look at some older Digital Developments articles, which on the time of this writing, have been older tales from four, 6, and three hours in the past. In contrast that to Google, and articles are extra related pulled from a most up-to-date time-frame.

Google is even sensible sufficient to indicate the Digital Developments Twitter feed, and supply the searcher with extra related info. Google additionally suggests some opponents to Digital Developments, comparable to CNET or The Verge, to assist customers discover different information and data. There’s even a subject web page for what we write about, and details about our Editor in Chief, Jeremy Kaplan. None of those are on Bing.

Then, there’s the search web page design. Google lately switched up its design for the great. In comparison with Bing, its person interface options web site icons just like what you get once you “favourite” a web site. There’s additionally added additional header textual content on the high of a outcome to assist determine web sites, and cease misinformation. Google defined in a sequence of tweets that its modifications are designed to assist the person “higher perceive the place info is coming from, extra simply scan outcomes & determine what to discover.”

When put up towards Bing, the distinction is substantial. Google is clearly extra user-friendly than Bing, and customers are capable of finding extra related info at a faster tempo. Microsoft has loads to study on this division.

Deal with the fundamentals

Briefly, Microsoft wants to repair up Bing earlier than it begins forcing individuals to make use of it. The excellent news is that Microsoft lately proved that it might probably do that. The corporate lately relaunched its Microsoft Edge browser, which has obtained nice buzz and a focus on-line. That’s all as a result of Microsoft slowed down, fastened the issues, and did it proper.

Equally, Microsoft has to make strikes to raised place Bing as a search engine for us frequent individuals. It must make us see that Bing a strong different to Google and never only a copy cat.

We’ve seen makes an attempt this with packages like Microsoft Rewards, which rewards customers with “factors” for looking on Bing, that may be redeemed for reward playing cards. Microsoft has even made terrific strides on the Bing expertise over the previous few years with a “collections” characteristic to gather, group and save search outcomes, and an election expertise designed to assist combat misinformation.

Right here’s the kicker: Bing could possibly be a terrific possibility for companies. When the primary Bing is mixed with Microsoft Search, you’re in a position to register with each work and private accounts. You’re in a position to make use of Bing to go looking via work recordsdata and even individuals or web sites arrange by your group. There’s nice potential there.

However till Microsoft will get the fundamentals coated, forcing individuals to make use of Bing is just exasperating the issue.

The views expressed listed below are solely these of the writer and don’t replicate the beliefs of Digital Developments.

Editors’ Suggestions