What's in a name? Is the changing of Microsoft Live Search to Bing simply a change of a name, similar to when MSN's search engine first changed to Live Search? Or is there something more to this change? Skeptics will tell you that it is just another case of Microsoft rebranding of something that that is not working as well as it had hoped. Microsoft and Bing's fans will tell you that the change to Bing is something more. Who is right? Most likely everybody is on to something.
Microsoft considers Bing, not merely a search engine, but a decision engine. Better than Live Search, Bing is supposed to help searchers not only find information, but also make better decisions. According to Microsoft, by utilizing information and search results from four key verticals (shopping, travel, health, and local), Bing provides a searcher with enough vital information so the searcher can make the best decisions possible.
But is Bing really that special? Is it a search engine that will be the "Google killer"? Most likely Google does not have to worry about losing its place as the leading search engine at this time. Although some search engine may someday dethrone Google, it most likely will not be Bing. Of course, that does not mean that Bing might not grab some of Google's traffic especially since Microsoft has invested some money in both traditional and online advertising for the new engine. However, as much as Microsoft would love to be the "Google killer," the company will most likely be happy to see a larger share of the search market than Bing's predecessors (MSN Search and Live Search).
Some aspects of Bing, including the specialized search engines within Bing, are similar to Live Search's features. However, the search results of Bing are now organized in categories (images, videos, etc. – depending on the item searched), allowing for a searcher to more easily "drill down"' into results. This gives the searcher more results without having to add additional terms. However, some of Bing's features are a bit lost in a busy results page.
So, what will Bing's fate be? It seems a bit too early to say; however, more than likely Microsoft's new search engine will fare better than its predecessors.
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