The estimated reading time for this post is 3 minutes
In a move reminiscent of the Pepsi Challenge, Bing is challenging Internet users (a/k/a people) to test which search engine they prefer. By visiting the Bing It On website, you can take the test to see which search engine produces the results most helpful for you.
[note] Update: The Bing It On Challenge appears to be available only for US residents and is not available on some mobile devices. [/note]
Enter a search term and the site brings up side-by-side search results from Bing and from Google. You aren’t shown which side is Bing and which is Google. The survey says it shows result from Bing Snapshot and Social Search vs. Google Knowledge Graph.
At the top of the screen you can choose which search engine produced results that are more helpful to you. You can vote: left, right or draw. You do this five times to determine which is the winner.
My Results
Here are my results for a search of “London”:
I voted for the right side because of the layout of the search results. The images and the subcategories made the results easier to find what I was looking for and navigate to other sites.
Continuing, I searched four other terms: Wonder of Tech, Philadelphia, Obama and Romney. I chose my preferences based on the layout of the information and, with the latter two searches, the timeliness of the information presented.
Here are my results:
Bing came out the winner in 3/5 search results in my Bing It On test.
Your Results May Vary
Were the search results shown in Bing It On an accurate portrayal of what the actual results would be if I visited google.com and bing.com?
Here are my search results for searching “London” at google.com:
Note that the right side of the screen shows useful information from Google that wasn’t shown in the Bing It On search results. The Bing It On comparison showed the web search results from the left side of the page (which the challenge results page explains), but left out the Google Knowledge Graph panel on the right which could be very helpful.
I also visited bing.com to see if their search results were accurately portrayed in the challenge results. Bing It On didn’t include the right side panel information for Bing search results, which can provide other useful information, especially if you have signed into Bing using Facebook and/or your Microsoft account.
Here is the side panel that appeared on my search results for searching “London” at bing.com:
These results can provide additional information from Facebook friends and other experts around the web. For example, if you’re planning a trip, you can find out if any of your Facebook friends have posted on that destination by linking your Facebook account with Bing.
Neither Bing nor Google search results were wholly represented by the challenge results, but the challenge can still show you that checking with more than one search engine may provide more thorough results.
Bing vs. Google
Over five million people have taken the Bing It On challenge, according to Bing, with the results showing the Bing is preferred over Google 2:1. Based on the traffic to The Wonder of Tech in the past month, Google is the most popular search engine for readers with 63% of visitors having arrived at this site from Google, while 0.51% arrived from Bing.
Your Results?
Vote in today’s Wonder of Tech poll and let us know the results of your Bing It On Challenge:
Also Found in Stores
If you’re lucky enough to live near a Microsoft store, you can take the challenge at the store and perhaps be rewarded for your efforts. I visited my local Microsoft store earlier this week and was given a $25 gift card at the store for taking the challenge there.
You can check the Microsoft Store website to find a store near you.
Bottom Line
The Bing It On challenge may not show all the benefits of using either Bing or Google, but can open our minds to exploring other search engine options. Next time you conduct an important search, consider using both Bing and Google to give you the maximum relevant results.
Have you ever used Bing? Do you use Google exclusively? Have you considered other search engine options? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Interesting Carolyn!
I rarely use Bing though I’ve used it sometimes for research work and for the layout that is different from Google. But it’s always been Google for me and I think for most of us too. I guess we are all so used to Googling. 🙂
I tried the link right on top the Bing It On one to take the challenge, but it opens to the normal Bing search engine page. Is there something wrong I am doing or why can’t I open the page with the comparison?
Would love to see the poll results too, though I’ve yet to try it out and then take it up.
Thanks for sharing about this interesting challenge and the poll too. 🙂
Hi Harleena, I click on the link and it takes me to bingiton.com. You may want to try typing the link in to see if it works. If not, then it could be that the link is restricted in your country? Let me know if it works for you.
It’s not working either ways Carolyn – when I click the link, nor when I type it.Perhaps it’s restricted our end. 🙁
However, I get the idea seeing all that you had written and the pictures. Thanks once again 🙂
Sorry about that, Harleena. I wonder if it’s US only. You can take the test yourself by plugging the same search term into bing.com and google.com and compare the results. It won’t be a blind test but the results should still be interesting.
I’ll take that gift card if you aren’t going to use it; I need to replace my iPod……
I took the challenge and Google won; not based on the detail you mentioned but just by more pertinent data I was looking for and where it showed up in the order of mention.
Hmmmm……I guess I’m still a Google man for now.
Hi Bill, I’m sure I will be using it, but you can get one yourself by trotting down to your local Microsoft store. I know you like #winning! 😉
Yes, you can use your gift certificate to trade in your iPod for a Zune at the Microsoft store.
You must take great comfort in the fact that you were doing the right thing all along. You’re ahead of the game, Bill!
Yep, right. Nothing could make me switch from Google.
That doesn’t mean that I am not open minded, but in early days, Bing was caught cheating via Google. So Bing results were actually Googled. Did you read about that trap Google set, and how they caught Bing red-handed.
Generally speaking, MS hasn’t had a great history of innovation of late, and I am always with the innovative and creative one.
Hi iRewardChart, I can certainly understand your reluctance to switch from Google. I used Bing a lot when I lived in England just before I moved back to the US. I needed to do a lot of US searches but I could never get Google to search the US, my results were only UK, no matter what I did. Bing saved me by providing me with the US results I needed.
Thanks for participating in the poll and sharing your thoughts!
Well I’ll be darn Carolyn, Bing won. Not only did it put me as #1 out of 17,500,000 results but the information was more spot on. I searched for me and with Google’s search the #1 position was for someone who spelled their name different then mine. That’s not who I was searching for. Not very happy with that.
I haven’t used Bing in forever mainly because I never liked the information they pulled up when I was searching for something. The only thing I don’t like about Google now is that it puts my searches in by my profile and I have to change that every time.
I appreciate you sharing this and I think I’m going to test this next week and just see how well I find information using Bing. I have a feeling I’m going to surprise myself.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Wow, that’s interesting! Your results show that Bing may be the better search engine for you. This challenge is fun and fascinating!
I like to encourage people to examine their computer habits, such as home pages, browsers, font sizes and search engines. We are on the computer so much that we should make it the best possible experience!
Hi Carolyn
For some reason it seems like BingItOn is not available in my region. I have tried to enter the URL in both Google Chrome and on IE9, but I am getting redirected to bing.com each time I try. I like the idea of blind testing the two search engines side by side. If you ask people I am sure that more than 9 out of 10 people will say that Google are better than Bing. The question just is. How many people have actually tried Bing recently?
Hi Thomas, Yes, unfortunately, some people outside the US are unable to load the Bing It On challenge. You can try the challenge on your own by visiting the two search sites. The results won’t be blind, but still can show you the differences between the two search engine results.
You’re right, Thomas, most people just go to Google and this is a useful exercise to see if that’s the best site for them.
When it comes to Technology you are really lucky to be living in the US. So many tech things are coming in first or even sometimes only in the US. It can be very frustrating some times.
Hi Thomas, You’re right. When I lived in the UK, I was very frustrated about how much tech was either US only or introduced to the UK months after the US launch.
There’s some tech that doesn’t get to the US, such as the Samsung Galaxy S III mini which is not planned to be sold here.
This is brilliant marketing Carolyn. When you take a test like this, it’s so much easier to see which one you prefer. I am sure many people are like me and are using Google just because it’s become a habit. I used to test various search engines all the time, now I just keep using Google, because it’s easy and it’s safe, and I usually get the results I’m looking for.
Hi Jens, You’re right, Bing has made the Bing It On challenge fun and interesting. That’s effective marketing that goes beyond a traditional ad campaign.
Did you try the challenge, Jens? Some readers are having difficulty accessing the site outside the US.
I visited the URL but didn’t see anything other than the regular Bing search engine. So, I guessed it was a feature only available to the US 🙂
Thanks for letting me know, Jens. I will update my article to reflect that it’s US only. I don’t know why it’s US only but people outside the US can do the challenge on their own, though it won’t be blind.
Hi Carolyn,
Bing vs Google,the competition is tough i guess with what i have seen the results in the poll results till now.But for me Google will always be the top most priority over any other search engine.I hardly use Bing but that’s not the reason Google wins for me.Its all about the results Google gives me for whatever i search.
Hi Aditya, yes, if you have already compared Bing and Google, then you don’t need to take the challenge. But most people haven’t considered options other than Google so this challenge can help show them an option they might not have known about.
I’m glad you’re happy with Google, Aditya. You’re not alone! 🙂
If i am alone too i still go for Google Carolyn,i don’t want Bing to Bang me. lol 🙂
Lol, Aditya! 🙂
Tried it on my iPad. I got a message that said an iPad version was coming soon. I could not take the challenge. A marketing fail!
Hi Stephanie, Good detective work! After I read your comment, I tried accessing the challenge from two different browsers on my iPad but neither one worked. Perhaps it will be accessible on the upcoming Microsoft Surface?
Hmm..interestingly (or suspiciously) 🙂 Bing won 3 out of my 5 searches as well. I do think that the results on Bing It On aren’t exact reflections of what you’ll get when you actually use each browser. Any word on how Bing’s indexing system differs from Google’s?
Hi Raine, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! No, the results aren’t entirely accurate for either Bing or Google, which is why it’s important to visit the sites to see which results are a better fit for you. But this challenge can definitely lead us to reconsider our options!
I don’t really spend much time using Bing but that is based upon early experiences with it. It was ok, but I wasn’t really impressed and Google worked well.
But I probably should revisit, I don’t like putting all my eggs in one basket.
Hi Josh, Yes, I think Bing has come a long way since they first started, but perhaps it’s time we give them another look.
I’m a big believer in healthy competition and Google hasn’t had much competition in the search engine market.
It’s interesting with Bing and Apple Maps challenging Google in fields Google has dominated for years. Apple has received a lot of criticism for its maps app, but Google just launched some innovative features to its maps app, showing that competition can make even the leader better.
Hi Carolyn
I don’t think I’ve ever used Bing so I’ll give it a try and see what comes of it.
I’ve only ever used Google so it would be good to try something different for a change.
Hi Tim, I’m glad you’re giving Bing a try. Even if the challenge only serves to make you appreciate Google more at least you know you have a choice. There may be some searches where one search engine provider is better than another.
I prefer Bing personally.
For some reason I feel I’m being spied on when using Google, but Google is better when I search for images of something though, in my opinion.
Hi Jay, Yes, I can see why you want a different search engine than Google if you want to keep your results private. You should check out Duck Duck Go http://duckduckgo.com/ a search engine with a no-tracking policy if you want the maximum privacy.
Ooh! You know, I’ve been taking some Internet marketing courses lately and they all emphasize how the majority of organic search traffic would come from Google. So my mind is filled with Google. Not to mention the fact that I use Google Chrome and exclusively search on Google. =P But I would have loved to take the challenge! =) It’s a good point that we should diversify, especially if we aren’t getting the information we need from Google. It’s so quick to head over to Bing and I should make a habit of doing so! For educational purposes too. =) Loved this post!
Hi Samantha, Yes, this challenge probably isn’t available in Peru but you can replicate it without the blind aspect of the test.
You’re right, Google absolutely dominates the field, including driving traffic to The Wonder of Tech. 2/3 of my traffic comes from Google searches and Google showed better results when I searched “wonder of tech”. But the important thing is which search engine is best for you? If it’s Google, then you’ve been choosing the right search engine all along. But if it’s Bing, then you may want to head there next time you conduct a search. 🙂
i use Bing occasionally but Google is my first choice and it is a great search engine for every one and i will suggest only Google to every one, anyway its a great post thanks and keep up the good work…
Hi Jawad, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, Google is a fantastic search engine and if this confirms your choice of Google, then that is worthwhile as well. 🙂
As much as Bing may have succeeded in the search engine business Google remains the king of the search engines. But then i like the innovations of Bing and the fact that they have taken search social. Well i optimize my blog for both search engines and even more.
Hi Nwosu, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re very smart to optimize your blog for both search engines. The easier it is for them to find your articles the better! :-bd
I personally use DuckDuckGo.com when I get bored with Google. Also I set Bing.com has my home page and my default search is Google.
When searching images I use Bing and when I search for blogs I use Google.
So it`s like I use 3 searches and one need to change search engines to get more.
Hi Khaja, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, I have used Duck Duck Go, but I’ve had mixed results. I often like to add a lot of search parameters and Google seems to have the most options for refining searches.
It sounds as if you’re making the most of your search resources!
Hi Carolyn, I think the Bing people are clever in that they know people respond to images much more than they do text and I’m certainly one of those people. Google seem to be much more sparing with their use of images and I think that might have something to do with them wanting to promote their own platforms – I know for example that Google+ profile images routinely get returned in searches but no other profile images.
Hi Roz, Excellent point. Bing is very effective in using images in their search results. Pictures say a thousand words, so Bing using images is very effective. I also like the beautiful image that greets you when you open Bing.com. 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Wow, I really like this and I’ve got to try it.
Sometimes I do search myself on different search engines to see what people my come up if they use other search engines to find me. I think that it would be interesting to a side by side comparison.
Thank you for this super tip!
Hi Sylviane, That’s a great idea to search your own name to see which search engine gives you the best results and also how you are being mentioned on the Internet. Even if you can’t do the Bing It On challenge, you can do a manual search to see which one gives you the best results! 🙂
Great post Carolyn, I can never switch from Google. I’m so to Google’s layout that I won’t be able to use Bing. Plus I love the Google Doodles they have every occasion!
Hi Ash, Great point, I love Google Doodles too. But I also love Bing’s images that show when you arrive at the site.
I agree, I do like how you can refine searches on Google.
Try these too guys.
I tried to search for Charlotte IT companies using the keyword “Charlotte IT company” and compare the results with Google and Bing.
Look at the results of Google, I wasn’t happy because it doesn’t return the results of IT companies in Charlotte, just only companies in Charlotte which are not related to IT.
And with Bing, it returned with relevant results.
Hi Andrei, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, if Google isn’t giving you the search results you’re looking for, then you should definitely check out Bing. Knowing you have options is very important.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your example with us, Andrei! 🙂
You cannot compare apples with oranges. Bing is far behind than Google. Bing is actually competing for for second best.
Hi Mas, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! It’s important to consider your options. You may be surprised, or not, about the results that Bing produces. It’s worth a look to make sure you’re using the search engine that’s giving you the best results.
From the day one I entered in the world wide web, I am a fan of Google. It’s has become a global phenomena. Googling means not just searching using google, but searching in internet. But your post amuses me. You really have done some good research.
I admit that Google results have some flaws. But in the whole I would say Google is best. But it’s good to see other search engines like Bing and all joining the competition.
Hi Jakes, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, even if you’re a fan of Google, it’s important to understand that there are alternative search engines and explore which is best for you. Even if you confirm that Google is best for you, it’s best to see how it’s best for you.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us, Jakes!
I have been using Yahoo way back in early 2000, but now it’s always been Google. I tried bing before but I was not happy with the search results. I think Google is still the best search engine out there.
Hi Jeff, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, I used to use Yahoo too but now use Google by default. It’s a good idea to compare search engines every so often to see if it’s time for a change!
I don’t think there will be a search engine anytime soon that could beat the big G. Even marketers and businesses relies on their services.
Jeff, You’re right, there probably isn’t any search engine that could soon replace Google but many will try. The Apple Maps controversy shows that we often take what Google does for granted. They make it look easy but search really isn’t easy.