Microsoft duels Google in search challenge
Sep 6, 2012, 7:56 AM | Updated: 10:34 am
Microsoft is challenging Google in a new search challenge. (Microsoft image)
(Microsoft image)
Microsoft is challenging rival Google to a head to head test of the company’s search engines in a bid to boost Bing.
Microsoft has launched the “Bing it On” challenge, which pits searches in a blind test against each other. Searchers ultimately pick a winner based on the results.
“It’s a big gamble by Microsoft, because in some cases the challenge could reinforce Google’s brand,” says Todd Bishop with Geekwire.com.
In his first blind test, Bishop reports he chose Google because it recognized his search for “Cake” referenced the band rather than something from a bakery.
Bishop says in his second blind test using more straightforward searches, Bing’s results edged out Google’s.
The company claims its research finds users prefer Bing two-to-one in blind tests.
While the campaign could backfire, Microsoft has little to lose. Bing has just 15 percent market share in the U.S., compared with 66 percent for Google.
