To build upon their “Bing Is For Doing” philosophy, America’s second largest search engine has decided that it will follow in Google’s footsteps and provide social integration.  More information about the merger of social and search platforms across the web can be found in a previous 90blog post.  Bing will attempt to do what Google has decided against and use Facebook (among other social networking sites) as its primary tool to get answers for its users.  As Bing says, “Recent attempts at social search haven’t unlocked the full potential of tapping our social networks.”  Through an integrated format called the Sidebar, users will be able to get the opinion of friends, family, and colleagues online, much as you would in person.

By Elyse Jarvis, Account Coordinator

Bing adds personalized search results to its search capabilities and, once again, attempts to catch up with Google.

Google has offered user-personalized search results since 2009, and Bing is now jumping on the bandwagon.  Still in the testing phases in the U.S., Bing’s more personalized features will rank listings based on physical location and past search behavior.

In ways similar to Google, Bing’s personalized results will be based on information gleaned from stored cookies, IP address and the information personally supplied via the engine’s preferences page. According to an official blog post by the Bing team, Bing will also store data based on time and date of search and on browser configuration.

Despite the amount of data Bing projects it will store, they argue that for the most part, they will be able to personalize using “a minimal amount of personal information.” The company proposes that search result hierarchy will mainly be based on the understanding that searchers use the engine to find a specific website, and will thus base results on what searchers have clicked through to previously. For example, if a searcher has previously searched on the term “DIA,” and the top results were “Denver International Airport” and “Defense Intelligence Agency,” and the searcher clicked on the “Defense Intelligence Agency;” in future searches, Bing will offer “Defense Intelligence Agency” as the top result.

Posted by: Leslie Norgren, Account Manager

Earlier this month, Microsoft submitted a patent application for “search queries with shifting intent.” The patent specifies that the Bing search engine will be capable of delivering results based on the intention of the searcher and the seasonality of the query. So, what exactly does this mean, and how is it different than how search engines currently deliver results?

Based on the patent application, it appears that Bing will evaluate the frequency of specific queries, and determine if there are shifts in dates when these searches occur. For example, if someone is looking for “last minute Thanksgiving flights” in October instead of November, Bing might assume that the searcher is looking for Canadian Thanksgiving offers, whereas if the query is submitted in November, it could surmise that the searcher is looking for U.S. Thanksgiving offers. Similarly, results for a basic query like “King Tut” are primarily historical and informative, but if a King Tut exhibit is underway, Bing may return results for museums where the event is touring.

To define when search queries are no longer temporal, Bing will be monitoring for changes in click-through rates, bounce rates or results-based query changes.

As Bing gains market share, it is becoming increasingly important to stay informed of algorithm changes. If your site’s organic traffic is impacted by seasonality, stay ahead of the game by optimizing with temporally related content. Aside from considering the impact seasonality may have on your organic listings, it would be wise to start brainstorming ways you might modify your pay-per-click (PPC) advertising strategy as well.

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Posted by: Erin Wilson, Marketing Coordinator

Although Google continues to own the majority of the search engine market, Bing’s continued growth makes it necessary to think beyond Google when optimizing your website. Fortunately, most search engines rank their results based on many of the same criteria.

Below are four key areas to focus on when optimizing for search engines, particularly Bing:

Content and keyword placement: Great content is the best way to improve search rankings. Pay attention to where your keywords are located; use page titles, H1 and alt tags and linked text. Referring to Bing Webmaster Center is also a great way to stay on top of any changes.

Inbound links: Inbound links are important for any engine, especially Bing. Focus on obtaining a large number of links from other relevant pages.

Well-built website: A technically sound website with validated code, no broken links and proper redirects is important to Bing. Also, make an effort to use static URLs instead of dynamic URLs.

Domain age: Bing’s algorithm prioritizes older domains. Search engines are always looking to establish authority and domain age is one way to accomplish this.

Although it is important to include Bing in your optimization strategy, make sure you’re continuing to optimize for Google as well.

Posted by: Nikki Johnson, Marketing Coordinator

Yahoo and Microsoft recently received regulatory approval for a search and advertising partnership that may simplify the world of search engine optimization (SEO). Per the agreement, Yahoo will soon begin using Microsoft Bing’s search algorithm to return its search results. Some SEO gurus are speculating that this new union will streamline optimization so that marketers will only have to optimize for two search engines (Google and Bing) instead of three (Google, Yahoo and Bing).

That being said, Bing returns far fewer search results than Google, and it is more difficult to be deemed “relevant” within Bing listings than within Google listings. This could have a few implications for SEO marketers as they try to optimize for Bing’s slimmed-down version of the search results page.

Although Bing will be the driver behind the wheel of Yahoo searches, Yahoo claims it will still have a strong influence on the Yahoo.com user experience. Last year it revamped its homepage offering users a number of applications for page customization. The company has also incorporated a number of innovative features within its search interface. Yahoo is finding new ways to get in front of its users and is not expected to fade behind the spotlight that’s currently focused on Bing.

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