Microsoft Gets Good Reception for Bing

Microsoft (News - Alert) Corp.’s new search engine, Bing, appears to be slowly gaining traction against rival Google.

 

 In a week since the site’s launch, Microsoft’s search share rose to 11.1 percent last week compared to 9.1 percent the previous week, according to comScore (News - Alert). What’s more, more people are using Bing—15.5 percent of users versus 13.8 percent, comScore said.

 

"These initial data suggest that Microsoft Bing has generated early interest, resulting in a spike in search engagement and an immediate term improvement to Microsoft's position in the search market," Mike Hurt, comScore senior vice president, said in a statement. "So far, it appears that the lifts in searcher penetration and engagement have held relatively steady throughout the five-day period."

 

Bing launched last week two days before its scheduled rollout. Less than a week after the site went live, Bing surpassed Yahoo! as the No. 2 search engine in the U.S. and worldwide, TMCnet reported.

 

While the numbers are positive, experts aren’t sure whether results reflect a true gain, or just a bump among Internet surfers.

 

 "The ultimate performance of Bing depends on the extent to which it generates more trial through its extensive launch campaign and whether it retains those trial users," Hurt added.

 

Some analysts predict Bing’s share will fall back. For one, Rory Maher wrote in the Washington Post, Microsoft doesn’t have the same “halo effect" that Google (News - Alert) does with its products, like Gmail and Maps, to retain users. What’s more, a short-term spike in share doesn’t necessary translate into a long-term increase in share, the report said.

 

In the meantime, Microsoft plans to continue its $80 million to $100 million campaign, which includes TV spots and an online initiative, to drive traffic.

 

Microsoft touts Bing as a decision engine rather than a search engine, the AP says. In announcing the site, Microsoft said it wants to help users receive the information they're searching for faster. For example, pop-up windows will open summarizing details on a Web site to save users from clicking. The site also organizes search results with navigation and search tools and offers different categories of results.

Bing, formerly known as Kumo, features a variety of services, including Bing Travel, Bing Cashback and Bing Maps for Enterprise, Computer World reports. The name is designed to conjure “the sound of found” as Bing helps people with complex tasks, Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft’s online audience business group, told the New York Times.