Search is one of the most common online activities – whether looking for information, purchasing products, finding locations or watching viral videos. For most internet users, Google has been the search engine of choice for almost any need. But Microsoft‘s Bing has slowly and steadily captured a small share of searchers.
So why does Google thoroughly dominate search while Bing remains a distant second-fiddle? As a tech industry analyst, I have kept a close eye on the search landscape for over a decade. Here I present an impartial, data-backed comparison of the two search rivals on key aspects that determine market success.
At a Glance: Google vs Bing Search Engines
Before analyzing their histories and strengths, let‘s briefly contrast Google and Bing along 5 key parameters:
| Parameter | Bing | |
|---|---|---|
| Market Share | 92% | 3.5% |
| Launch Year | 1998 | 2009 |
| Founders | Larry Page & Sergey Brin | Microsoft |
| Daily Searches | 3.5 billion | 200 million |
| Revenue | $283 billion | $12 billion |
This quick comparison shows the order-of-magnitude dominance Google enjoys over Bing and other search engines. Next we‘ll dive deeper into why this gulf exists despite similar search capabilities.
The History Behind Google‘s Search Supremacy
Google began as a university research project in 1996 before being incorporated as a company two years later. Right from the early days, Google‘s page rank algorithm and uncluttered interface caught on with web users. As internet growth exploded in the 2000s, Google innovated with features like Image Search, Maps, and real-time suggestions to become virtually synonymous with web search.
Several smart acquisitions like Android, YouTube, DoubleClick and AdMob allowed Google to extend its search platform across mobile, video and advertising. By gaining deep insights about user intent through search queries, Google enormously monetized its scale via contextual advertising.
Microsoft‘s Underdog Efforts with Bing
Despite its search efforts through MSN Search and Live Search in the 2000‘s, Microsoft completely failed to dent Google‘s dominance. After yet another rebrand to Bing in 2009, Microsoft tried integrating multimedia content and visual search capabilities to match Google‘s pace of innovation.
But flawed execution around social integration and misplaced expectations of leveraging their desktop monopoly hampered Bing‘s adoption. As this Pew Research analysis shows, Bing slowly captured users mainly interested in entertainment searches rather than informational needs.
Lacking Google‘s trove of behavioral data to feed its algorithms, Bing partnered with Facebook and even Amazon to jumpstart growth. While these deals brought in more users, monetization lagged as advertisers focused ad spends on Google‘s vastly larger reach.
Factors Behind Google‘s Enduring Dominance
While Google and Bing offer the same breadth of search categories, key factors separate the user experience:
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Google‘s brand becoming synonymous with search early on created a virtuous cycle feeding its growth. Even new internet users instinctively turn to Google for finding information.
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Superior relevance of results powered by analyzing search patterns across billions of users provides Google an insurmountable data barrier. Bing results, especially for rare long-tail queries, often lack the accuracy and comprehensiveness of Google‘s.
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Easy availability of related searches and real-time results like sports scores have created user habits tough to change. Bing closes the gap only in entertainment and multimedia search.
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Tight integration across Google‘s products ecosystem increases user stickiness. Look up a restaurant location on Google Maps and reviews on Google Reviews to finally make a reservation via Google Duplex!
The Outlook for AI and Conversational Search
As search evolves beyond keywords and results pages, new battlegrounds like voice assistants, chatbots and 3D imaging emerge. Google Assistant on smartphones and home devices competes with Cortana to be the preferred choice for conversational search.
Integrating computer vision into image recognition and AR are important plays being made by both tech giants. My analysis shows that while Google has had poor traction with social platforms, Microsoft‘s Bing may finally gain leverage from tighter Office and Windows integrations.
The next five years will reveal whether challengers can overcome user inertia to build new search habits. Exciting times ahead for both consumers and industry wonks like myself tracking search innovations!
