Bundling Won't Help Microsoft Bing Versus Google
Chitika, which recently analyzed search engine traffic through open source, did another study this past week and confirmed again that Microsoft Bing is not gaining significant traction. Based on a sample of 163 million impressions from the United States and Canada across the Chitika network in early August, the ad network found that Bing, which Microsoft bundles with Internet Explorer, only logged 10.3 percent of IE users' searches. This isn't much better than Bing's total market share of about 9 percent. Google, on the other hand, netted 74.2 percent of those 163 million searches through IE:
Dan Ruby, director of marketing for Chitika, used these results to conclude that Microsoft's bundling crown has been usurped by Google, the default search engine for Firefox, Safari and Chrome, where it logged 89.57 percent of the searches on those Web browsers.
Sure, Microsoft enjoyed monopolistic success in bundling IE with Windows, but that was before Firefox and Safari and before the rise of Google in search. It was easy for Microsoft to lump IE with Windows, particularly because there weren't enough consumers begging for a choice in Web browsers. Search is a different animal. Microsoft never successfully bundled search with IE because, well, Microsoft search pre-Bing was so inferior to Google. Google was able to successfully bundle with Firefox and Safari via its toolbar because it provided such a better user experience over any Microsoft search option. Ruby added:
Microsoft has a lot of work to do in order to take any significant market share away from Google, but if they use their experience in bundling software, it appears that the opportunity is there to jump up to a majority of users. Here's the irony of why this won't work: Microsoft's image as an Internet platform and application player is damaged and inspires mistrust because it so savagely hijacked the Web browser market with its bundling of IE on Windows a decade ago. Does anyone really believe Microsoft can successfully bundle Bing with anything and gain more share? What magical machine, device or elixir would make users flock to Bing over Google? I'd love to know, so tell me your bundling and marketing plan for Bing (though sorry to say you don't have $100 million with which to pitch!). For the raw numbers, see the Chitika blog post here. |
Comments (7)
Clint says "Google was able to successfully bundle with Firefox and Safari via its toolbar because it provided such a better user experience over any Microsoft search option."
Good grief, Google toolbar bundling has everything to do about the $s and nothing to do with "a better user experience". Just take a look at what its now bundled with that don't even use search (Java, Daemon Tools, etc., etc., etc.)
Posted by FollowTheMoney | August 29, 2009 2:01 PM
If money was the fix, Microsoft would power every service that offered search with Bing. The point is that Google is still the preferred search engine. There is a reason why Apple and Mozilla chose Google. Sure, there is money involved, but they also know the Google search experience and brand can't be beat.
Posted by Clint Boulton
| August 29, 2009 2:12 PM
Just another one of those articles made by people who are afraid of what Bing has become, and what it will become, true competition to Google.
It doesn't matter where the hits in Bing's market share is coming from, a hit is a hit any way you put it. If people who used Bing in their search bar didn't like it, they would change it, not keep it the way it is.
Not only that, the main thing that helped Google gain such a large share was bundling. They paid computer manufacturers to set it as the default search engine, or paid phone distributors and whatever. Sure, Google also spread through word of mouth, but Google did and still does spread through bundling.
Anyways, once your done reading my comment, you can go back to your little corner, curl up into the fetal position, and continue repeating "Bing is not a threat to Google in any way", but you know deep inside, Bing is a threat to Google.
Posted by aldo | August 29, 2009 2:14 PM
Aldo:
LOL. This is how tightly curled into the fetal position I am: Bing is a threat to Google like vanilla is a threat to chocolate. Bundling deals won't change anything at this point. Some people will use Bing, but I don't foresee a massive shift to Google unless the company falls mightily out of favor with people.
Posted by Clint Boulton
| August 29, 2009 2:20 PM
Clint Boulton:
I guess you have forgotten how much money makes the world go round.
Posted by aldo | August 29, 2009 2:41 PM
I just don't believe money is everything in search. If Google's search were inadequate, consumers wouldn't use it and the vendors wouldn't bother bundling it. There are plenty of other viable competitors. I'd would argue Bing is the strongest because it's a great service and supported by the all-powerful Microsoft.
Posted by Clint Boulton
| August 29, 2009 2:46 PM
Well, I know that. Money won't help everything in search, but it can do a lot. Microsoft can invest more into finding a better algorithm for search (But right now, Bing's is pretty darn good), more advertising to get the name known, and also, bundling.
Posted by aldo | August 29, 2009 6:14 PM