While Google has maintained its position at the top of the search market, recent figures (like those from Hitwise) show signs that both Bing and Yahoo! are continuing to gain ground on search engine’s stake of queries.
The possibility of Yahoo! integrating Bing’s search technology is very likely, and for SEO purposes, it’s worth taking seriously.
Last week’s launch of Bing’s entertainment section highlights Microsoft's continuing strategy - bring content and results to the user, instead of making the user search for it.
Bing's new vertical is more Web portal than search engine, indicating their move from the Google “search” model to the Yahoo “explore” model.
Already able to access full news articles and recipes on the site, Bing users can now watch TV shows, listen to and buy music, and watch film trailers. Up next is financial and health information, to be available on Bing without leaving the website.
Microsoft is populating Bing's pages mostly via its search algorithms; the increase in information sitting in Bing's search engine (the stuff engines like Google only provide links to) mean search results are now content.
This change in the search landscape was recently noted by comScore, who said Bing and Yahoo! have forced it to change the way it analyzes search usage.
"The recent innovation deployed by a number of search engines is to go beyond simply providing a search box along with content, but to weave their search engines into the user experience," wrote comScore's Cameron Meierhoefer.
By providing search results that are relevant to the content the user is already consuming, Yahoo! and MSN can provide very relevant and convenient experiences.
They are also able to keep people on their websites instead of sending them away, which means higher page-views and more ad revenue.
But what does it mean for the rest of us?
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