7 Reasons to Give Bing a Chance
Google is such a dominating force in search that people use its name as a verb. Need to find something? “Google it.”
No one says, “Bing it.” Yet.
But Bing is quietly growing and improving behind the scenes, and there are a number of reasons you might want to consider using it, advertising on it and exploring its potential.
- It offers Bing bling.
How often do you search for something on the Internet? Imagine if every time you searched for something you got points, and you could exchange those points for cool stuff? Bing Rewards does just that, giving you points for searches that you can exchange for items like gift cards for Amazon or Fandango, Microsoft store credit, movies, games, music and more. You can even use points to support your favorite charity. - It’s “Edgy”.
Bing is built into Windows 10 and Microsoft Edge as the default search engine. Microsoft reports that Windows 10 is active on over 200 million devices, which means a lot of exposure for Bing. - It’s Siri-ous.
Speaking of mega exposure, you may have heard of a popular little brand called Apple. Bing is the default search engine for Apple’s virtual digital assistant, Siri. CNET recently reported that over 94 million people in the US currently use an iPhone, so that’s a big win for Bing. And if you’ve been pleased with the search results Siri has given you, you may like Bing more than you think. - It gives you more Bing for your buck.
When companies think of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, they usually go straight to Google Adwords, but Bing Ads offer a number of advantages, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. There is less competition for keywords on Bing, so cost-per-click is usually lower and ad positioning is often more prominent. - It has huge potential from LinkedIn.
Earlier this month, Microsoft (which owns Bing) announced it will acquire LinkedIn for a $26.2 billion. LinkedIn is the world’s largest business networking site and LinkedIn Ads have performed well historically. Now there is potential for Bing Ads to join forces with this B2B giant. Not sure how this will play out yet, but it is worth watching. - Its image search is better.
In a time when everyone is taking, using and searching for photos constantly, Bing has another advantage. Their image search – which introduced an infinite scroll feature and offers more filters – is generally considered superior to Google’s. Their image quality is also better – sharper, clearer and more vivid. - Its video search is better.
Bing’s video search is also very popular since you can preview and watch videos right in Bing instead of being directed to a third party site like YouTube.
What does this mean for you?
If you’re a marketer, don’t forget about Bing when it comes to advertising or optimizing your website. While Google and Bing follow a number of the same SEO practices, there are a few things you want to consider with Bing.
- Submit your site to Bing Webmaster Tools to have it indexed.
- Title tags are more important with Bing.
- Social media links play an important role in ranking with Bing.
- Bing favors sites with local listings, so claim your location at www.bingplaces.com.
Bottom line, if you haven’t tried Bing in a while, you might want to give it another spin. And if you’re a marketer, you don’t want to count it out.
Interested in running a PPC campaign or looking for other ways to build your digital marketing strategy? Let’s talk.
Diane Callihan
With more than 20 years of experience writing for some of the country’s top brands, Diane helped to shape Roger West’s content strategy, lead generation, and PR efforts as Director of Marketing. She currently serves as President of Callihan Content Creation.