Is Bing Really a New Type of Search?

There's no question that the look of Bing is decidedly different than Google's. While the look is important in the quest to cut in on Google's market share, what about the usability of Bing?

Enough time has passed to allow for true analysis of this new thing called Bing. If trends hold steady then Bing just may give Google a run for its money, as its already cornered 10.7% of the search market for a 22% month over month growth rate.

Bing vs. Google Search

Bing was smart to call itself a “decision engine” not a search engine. As far as traditional search results go, Bing doesn’t really offer anything different than what you’d find using Google. That said, there are a few cool features that allow you to get more out of those results.

Preview Window – This little diddy of a tool helps you decide if you’ve really found what you’re looking for by giving you more information on the page in addition to the meta description. Just hover over the orange circle to the right of each result.

Wiki Enhanced View – This feature is an option with Wikipedia results. If you click the Enhanced View link below the Wiki search result you can bring up the Wiki info without leaving Bing.

The search functionality is good, however, it’s Bing’s extra features that separates it from the competition and lends to it’s labeling as a “decision engine”.