Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (2024)

When it comes to optimizing a website, SEO professionals typically focus on Google. After all, it’s the world’s most popular search engine.

But what about Microsoft Bing? Is it worth optimizing your site for, as well?

Let’s see how these two search giants, Microsoft Bing (rebranded from simply ‘Bing’ in October 2020) and Google, compare.

Google vs. Microsoft Bing Market Share

One of the first distinctions between Microsoft Bing and Google is market share. According to Statista, in February 2021, Bing accounted for 6.7% of the global search market, while Google took 86.6%.

That’s pretty huge.

And while that may make it tempting to focus on Google alone, Microsoft Bing provides good conversions and has a user base that shouldn’t be ignored.

That 6.7% of search users accounts for millions who use Microsoft Bing every day.

It’s particularly important to optimize for Bing if you’re targeting an American audience. In fact, one-third of online queries in the U.S. are powered by Microsoft properties when you factor in Yahoo and voice searches.

Some have wondered over the years whether Bing is an acronym for “Because It’s Not Google.” I’m not sure how true that is, but the name does come from a campaign in the early 1990s for its predecessor, Live Search.

Another fun tidbit is that Ahrefs recently did a study on the Top 100 Bing searches globally and the #1 query searched was [Google].

Comparing Google vs. Microsoft Bing’s Functionality

From a search functionality perspective, the two search engines are similar, but Google offers more core features:

FeatureGoogleMicrosoft Bing
Text SearchYesYes
Video SearchYesYes
Image SearchYesYes
MapsYesYes
NewsYesYes
ShoppingYesYes
BooksYesNo
FlightsYesNo
FinanceYesNo
Scholarly LiteratureYesNo

How Google & Microsoft Bing Differ in Size of Index and Crawling

Google says:

“The Google Search index contains hundreds of billions of webpages and is well over 100,000,000 gigabytes in size.”

Even so, not even Google can crawl the entire web. That is just not going to happen.

This is why using structured data is so important. It provides a data feed about your content so Google can understand it better, which can help you qualify for rich results and get more clicks and impressions.

Microsoft Bing hasn’t released similar figures. However, this search engine index size estimating website puts the Microsoft Bing index at somewhere between 8 to 14 billion web pages.

The two engines have shared a little about their approaches to web indexing.

Microsoft Bing says:

“Bingbot uses an algorithm to determine which sites to crawl, how often, and how many pages to fetch from each site. The goal is to minimize bingbot crawl footprint on your web sites while ensuring that the freshest content is available.”

Around the same time the above statement was made, John Mueller from Google said:

“I think the hard part here is that we don’t crawl URLs with the same frequency all the time. So some URLs we will crawl daily. Some URLs maybe weekly. Other URLs every couple of months, maybe even every once half year or so. So this is something that we try to find the right balance for, so that we don’t overload your server.”

Google has a mobile-first index, while Microsoft Bing takes a different stance and does not have plans to apply a mobile-first indexing policy.

Instead, Microsoft Bing maintains a single index that is optimized for both desktop and mobile, so it is important to make sure your site experience is optimized, loads quickly, and gives users what they need.

Google has evolved into more than just a search engine with products like Gmail, Maps, Chrome OS, Android OS, YouTube, and more.

Microsoft Bing also offers email via Outlook, as well as other services like Office Online or OneDrive.

Unlike Google, however, it does not have its own operating system. Instead, it uses Windows Phone 8 or iOS on Apple devices.

Now, let’s take a look at where Bing is on par with Google – or superior.

Differences in User Interface & Tools

Google has a clean, simple interface that many people find easy to use.

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (1)

So does Microsoft Bing, though; in my opinion, Bing is actually a little bit more visual.

Both search engines display useful information about related searches, images, companies, and news and do a great job of informing users of everything they need to know about a given topic.

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (2)

SEO professionals love our tools and data.

Thankfully, both Google and Microsoft Bing have decent keyword research tools that offer insights into performance:

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (3)

One area where I think Google falls behind is the data it provides in Google Search Console. If you want to learn how to use it, check out How to Use Google Search Console for SEO: A Complete Guide.

One of the cool feature sets in Microsoft Bing is the ability to import data from Google Search Console:

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (4)

Another Microsoft Bing feature that I think beats Google is the fact that it provides SEO Reports.

According to Bing, these reports contain common page-level recommendations based on SEO best practices to improve your rankings.

The reports are automatically generated biweekly and provide tips as to what to work on or look into.

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (5)

See A Complete Guide to Bing Webmaster Tools to learn more.

Microsoft Bing May Excel in Image Search Over Google

When it comes to image search, Microsoft Bing may have a leg up on Google by providing higher-quality images.

I like the filtering features in its image search, too, because you can turn titles off and search by image size, color, or type.

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (6)

Test out Bing Visual Image Search, which allows you to do more with images. Check out its library of specialized skills to help you shop, identify landmarks and animals, or just have fun.

Then, see to learn more.

Google has more images available for viewing than Microsoft Bing. Make the most of it with the tips in A Guide to Google’s Advanced Image Search.

However, Microsoft Bing provides more detailed information about the image users are searching for.

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (7)

How Microsoft Bing & Google Handle Video Search

Microsoft Bing provides a much more visual video search results page, including a grid view of large thumbnails.

Google’s video results are more standard, featuring a vertical list of small thumbnails.

Microsoft Bing also provides a preview of certain videos and clicking on them does not take you away from Bing, which is cool. From my perspective, it also provides much more information in video results.

As you can see from the screenshot of a movie search below, they include ratings and reviews, as well as the cast and even where you can watch the movie, which is great.

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (8)

I did not get this experience with Google video search.

This is one area where Microsoft Bing definitely outperforms Google.

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (9)

Map Listings on Both Search Engines Matter for Local SEO

Both engines have similar functionality for maps, including map listings and local listings in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Make sure you claim all your listings in both Microsoft Bing and Google and optimize your profile with business information, photos, proper categories, and links.

Accurate name, address, and phone number (NAP) information are key.

See A Complete Guide to Google Maps Marketing.

Optimizing for Google Search vs. Microsoft Bing

Google is primarily concerned with E.A.T: Expertise, Authority, and Trust.

Google Searches are powered by machine-based algorithms that take into account users’ previous search history and location when generating results.

This means that if a particular user wants to find something specific on Google, it will be much easier than on Microsoft Bing because Google has a more complete picture of who that person is before they type anything in the browser.

Google has always been a link-orientated search engine in which the quality of links still matters instead of quantity. Links are not as important on Microsoft Bing.

In my opinion, Microsoft Bing has always been focused on on-page optimization. It puts more weight on content that is well optimized, or that includes important on-page elements like titles, descriptions, URLs, and content.

Unlike Google, Microsoft Bing states in its webmaster guidelines that it incorporates social signals into its algorithm. That means you should also focus on Twitter and Facebook – including building good quality content on your site and social platforms – if you want to rank highly in Microsoft Bing.

Content is extremely important for both search engines. Always focus on high-quality content that satisfies the user’s informational need. By creating useful and relevant content, users will naturally love it and link to it.

So, for example, if I am looking for cars, you should show me valuable content on the topic: how I can buy a car, cost, maintenance, what the shopping experience is like, etc.

Both speed, mobile-friendliness, and proper tech infrastructure matter for both engines. However, Microsoft Bing focuses more on anchor text usage. Bing has been known to reward sites with matching anchor text for a page title, which was devalued by Google many years ago.

Make sure you check out these resources for optimizing for various search engines:

  • Going Beyond Google: SEO on Other Search Engines
  • 7 Alternative Search Engines That Do Social Good
  • DuckDuckGo SEO: What You Should Know

Google Search vs. Microsoft Bing: The Verdict

Both Microsoft Bing and Google satisfy the informational needs of millions of people every day.

They both offer opportunities for your brand to reach new users and put you in front of millions of qualified customers who are looking for information, products, and services.

Optimizing for both search engines is similar. Microsoft Bing is more focused on on-page optimization and incorporates social signals, while Google is more focused on E.A.T. and links.

Microsoft Bing has definitely improved over the last year and is more competitive with Google, especially in its unique features.

That’s why I recommend optimizing for both, to reach the lion’s share of internet searches and maximize visibility.

More Resources:

  • How to Use Microsoft Bing Site Explorer for SEO
  • 17 Great Search Engines You Can Use Instead of Google
  • How Search Engines Work

Image Credits

All screenshots taken by author, March 2021.

Category SEO Digital Experience

Google vs Bing: A Detailed Comparison of Two Search Engines (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Google and Bing search engines? ›

However, there are plenty of other differences between the two search engines aside from the algorithms they use. In particular, Bing and Google differ in terms of SERP features, local search, maps, voice search, and paid advertising.

Which is more accurate Bing or Google? ›

The directions are quite similar, but Google's data about traffic is more accurate. Local search is another segment in which Google dominates, as Bing's results can be significantly outdated.

Why do Google and Bing have different search results? ›

Bing and Google, two popular, crawler-based search engines have unique bots which 'crawl' and store keywords within their own index. Each index is therefore a search engine's representation of how they see the web. So search engines “see” the web differently.

How would you compare the performance of two search engines? ›

Comparing Search Engine Performance: How does Cuil Stack Up to Google, Yahoo!, Live & Ask
  1. Interesting Notes from the Data:
  2. Methodology: For each of the inputs, I've run a number of searches, spread across different types of query strings. ...
  3. Relevancy. ...
  4. Coverage. ...
  5. Freshness. ...
  6. Diversity. ...
  7. User Experience.
29 Jul 2008

Why Bing is the best search engine? ›

Why Choose Bing? Bing currently powers most of Yahoo and Microsoft's search functions, making it the second most popular search engine worldwide. Though Google is in first place with a pretty massive lead, Bing has several great benefits that Google doesn't. Bing's results page layout is better presented than Google's.

What is difference between Google search engine? ›

Ans. Google is an example of a Search Engine. Whereas, Google Chrome is a Web Browser.

Which search engine has the most accurate results? ›

1. Google. No need for further introductions. Google holds first place in search with a stunning difference of 88.28% from second place Bing.

Which search engine is the most accurate? ›

  1. Google. Besides being the most popular search engine covering over 90% of the worldwide market, Google boasts outstanding features that make it the best search engine in the market. ...
  2. Bing. ...
  3. 3. Yahoo. ...
  4. Baidu. ...
  5. Yandex. ...
  6. Duckduckgo. ...
  7. Contextual Web Search. ...
  8. Yippy Search.
24 Jan 2022

Why do people use Google not Bing? ›

Google offers free web searching while Bing charges $1 per month for its paid version. Google uses an algorithm called PageRank to determine what results appear at the top of a search result list.

How can I compare two Google searches? ›

Compare searches ;
  1. Open Google Trends.
  2. Search for a term, like hamburger .
  3. In the "Compare" box, search for another term, like veganism .
  4. Next to the first search term, click More ; Change filters.
  5. Select a country or region and click OK.
  6. Next to the second search term, click More ; Change filters.

Do two different search engines show similar results? ›

Answer: Two different search engines show similar results because names of search engines are different but they all are inter connected with each other . And if the question is same so answer will also be same . Example - if you ask that what is computer.

Why Google is the best search engine explain with some examples? ›

Google provides simple, better results. If users like the search results they find, based on the search queries, then the user will be happy. Happy users turn into repeat users. Repeat users become loyal to the platform.

Why is Bing faster than Google? ›

Optimizing for both search engines is similar. Microsoft Bing is more focused on on-page optimization and incorporates social signals, while Google is more focused on E.A.T. and links. Microsoft Bing has definitely improved over the last year and is more competitive with Google, especially in its unique features.

Which search engine is better than Google? ›

Yahoo! What is the most private search engine? DuckDuckGo doesn't track your search history at all, making it one of the best search engines for privacy-concerned users.

Which search engine is powered by both Google and Bing? ›

Yahoo! Search is a Yahoo! internet search provider that uses Microsoft's Bing search engine to power results, since 2009, apart from four years with Google until 2019.
...
Yahoo! Search.
Type of siteWeb search engine
URLsearch.yahoo.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedMarch 2, 1995
5 more rows

What is the most effective search method? ›

Phrase search is one of the most used and most effective search techniques. When applied, it treats the combination of separate search terms as one phrase. A phrase search is executed by putting the search terms between quotation marks, for example: “George Bush”.

What is the accuracy of Google search engine? ›

Among the three search engines, Google provides the most accurate estimation for document counting. It provides less than 10% error in 78% of queries. Yahoo provides very accurate estimations for almost half of queries, but it provides very inaccurate results for the remaining ones.

Are Google search results reliable? ›

We get billions of queries every day, and one of the reasons people continue to come to Google is they know that they can often find relevant, reliable information that they can trust. Delivering a high-quality search experience is core to what makes Google so helpful.

Which search engine is safer than Google? ›

DuckDuckGo is undoubtedly one of the most popular private search engines on this list. It is a great engine to turn to if you are at all concerned with your queries being tracked. It has a very clean and user-friendly interface.

Is there a deeper search engine than Google? ›

DuckDuckGo has a simple interface, with a search box in the middle of the page, and its list of search results is also formatted like Google's. And it's not just a deep web search engine — DuckDuckGo works for surface websites, too.

Is Bing less bias than Google? ›

New research suggests claims that Google is “biased” are overblown, and that Google's primary competitor, Microsoft's Bing, may actually be serving Microsoft-related results “far more” often than Google links to its own services in search results.

How many people use Google over Bing? ›

Bing currently has a 2.47% share of the worldwide search engine market. Bing's cut of the market has increased by 1.23% since 2019. Bing's market share peaked at 3.63% in 2014. Google, the industry leader, currently has a market share of 92.13%.
...
Bing market share.
YearMarket share
202030.82%
202127.6%
8 more rows
25 Oct 2021

Does Bing collect data like Google? ›

Google, Bing, and other popular search engines record the search queries you enter along with other pieces of information. Here's what may be recorded: Your IP address. Your location.

What is the best way to compare two things? ›

Adjectives and adverbs can be used to make comparisons. The comparative form is used to compare two people, ideas, or things. The superlative form with the word "the" is used to compare three or more. Comparatives and superlatives are often used in writing to hedge or boost language.

How do you compare two information? ›

When you compare, you're finding what's similar between two or more things. Another way to look at it, is how things resemble each other, how they interact, or how they could be equal. Information in a text helps the reader find the similarities. It's important to know that comparing goes hand in hand with contrasting.

What is the best way to compare two files? ›

Use the diff command to compare text files. It can compare single files or the contents of directories. When the diff command is run on regular files, and when it compares text files in different directories, the diff command tells which lines must be changed in the files so that they match.

Which two search engines will return the exact same results? ›

DuckDuckGo delivers the same search results to every user since it's not curating unique searches for each user based on their search history, interests, and web history. That's exactly why Google has become one of the most successful companies: the quality of its search platform.

Why Google saying it looks like there aren't many great matches for your search? ›

No good matches

The idea is not that this message will appear all the time, but the intention is that they can let the user know when the listed search results aren't a close enough match and provide advice and tips that could help to generate a better result.

Does Google give everyone same result when you use their search engine? ›

“Are Google Search Results the Same for Everyone?” The simple answers is no. Google search results are different on different computers. There are many factors that affect the Google search results you see.

What are the advantages of using Google? ›

Advantages of Using Google Search
  • Most Accurate Results. ...
  • Exceptional Filtering Options. ...
  • Use Built-In Quick Tools. ...
  • Read Free Books on Google Books. ...
  • Do Academic and Legal Research on Google Scholar. ...
  • Book Flights on Google Flights. ...
  • Go Shopping on Google Shopping. ...
  • Read News and Get Updated Financial Information.
27 Jun 2022

What is search engine in very short answer? ›

A search engine is a software program that helps people find the information they are looking for online using keywords or phrases. Search engines are able to return results quickly—even with millions of websites online—by scanning the Internet continuously and indexing every page they find.

What is advantage in using search engines like Google how is it important? ›

The Advantages Of Using Search Engine

Search engines hold a top position on the search result page which means it is the trustworthy choice. When people need the quick answer and solution to what they are looking for, they will automatically find it using the search engine because it is fast and trustworthy.

Which search engine is best? ›

Meet the Top 10 Search Engines in the World in 2022
  • 1 The Best Search Engine in The World: Google.
  • 2 Search Engine #2. Bing.
  • 3 Search Engine #3. Baidu.
  • 4 Search Engine #4.Yahoo!
  • 5 Search Engine #5. Yandex.
  • 6 Search Engine #6. Ask.
  • 7 Search Engine #7. DuckDuckGo.
  • 8 Search Engine #8. Naver.
10 Apr 2022

Does Bing track you like Google? ›

Popular search engines like Google and Bing track your searches and other online activity. We reveal the best private search engines to consider as alternatives.

Which search engine gives the most efficient answer? ›

THE GOOGLE IS THE BEST SEARCH ENGINE THAT GIVES THW MOST EFFICIENT ANSWER IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A VERY COMPLEX WORD !!!!!

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