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30 June
Life Beyond Google With Bing
Adding Bing to your search options
by
SoftwareGuru
19th June 2009
Irish internet users now have a new search engine
option from Microsoft
called Bing.
Some critics say it's
more useful than Google but that users are too predictable
in their habits to change over.
Today we'll take a look at
search engines and user behaviour.
The Beginning
Online
search engines have dramatically changed the way we interact with the
web.
Since it's launch in 1998, Google is no longer just an option
for search. For many people it is search itself.
This is especially the case now that search bars have been
incorporated into web browsers, removing the need to visit the
Google site.
In turn this has altered search behaviour. Even when users know
a website URL, they will often out of habit type the name into
their browser search bar and navigate to the site that way.
Our Love Affair With Google
For a company who has the motto "do
no evil", in recent years Google has made out-of-this-world
profits from aggressive advertising practises via its search
monopoly.
While most tech enthusiasts will agree that the browser wars (between
Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera and others)
are necessary for innovation, our love affair with Google has
repressed calls for similar competition in search.
Whether we're discussing Apple, Microsoft or Google, shouldn't
we apply the same principles of encouraging innovation in the
face of monopolistic practises?
Are we guilty of looking the other way if our own favoured brand
is involved?
Clearly, the answer is yes and this is the root of the problem.
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Software is not a sports team
On that basis, no matter what browser you currently use, it
makes sense to encourage search engine competition so as to
encourage innovation.
At the time of writing, many experts have
suggested that using the combination of the Google Chrome
browser and
Bing as the chosen search bar
makes for the best online user experience
overall.
However, people like to support their chosen brand regardless of
performance test results or facts.
Therefore, I find it hard to imagine that many users would use
Google Chrome and not use Google itself as the default search
bar.
Users are often too lazy or apathetic to make that type
of conscious change.
For
Internet Explorer 8 users, adding new search
options is easy.
To the right of your browser search bar there is a drop down
menu. Click it, and then select 'Find More Providers'.
The new page that loads will present you with a list of options
including Bing, eBay, Amazon and more.
As an experiment, click the Bing Search button "Add to
Internet Explorer" and set it as your default search.
Compare Google & Bing search results:
Once you have done your initial default search using Bing, you
can click on the search bar's drop down menu and click the
Google option.
Now you will see the search results Google has to offer.
There is no way of knowing which search engine is better suited
to your own personal interests unless you try them both out!
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Authority and Right Now
Personally, I don't have a favourite or preferred search engine.
However, there is definitely a problem with Google whenever it
comes to searching for information on a hot topic.
Any new topic which suddenly grabs our interest won't be found
easily if the entire list of search results are based on authority from the past.
It is incredibly frustrating to have to use Google advanced
search for example, to find news articles written on a
particular topic in the last week, month or year.
Instead of having these options integrated into the main search
page for ease-of-use, they actually drive you off the first page
into the advanced page which is poorly laid out.
Presenting more click options and empty text boxes on this new
page just adds to the frustration.
This has to be one of the most fundamental mistakes in search
engine usability.
Twitter's success is in spite of its poor design simply because
of its results being based solely on right now and not on
authority.
It is an astonishing oversight and you would think the best and
the brightest would have spotted it.
And Finally...
To recap then, critics say that users are too lazy to change the
habit of a lifetime from Google to Bing.
What do you say?
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Posted by
admin
at
15:10
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Read more about search engine developments at Software4Students.