She Came, She Bing-ed, She Decided

You can’t have missed Microsoft’s media offensive. Magazines, TV Adverts and Xbox Live are singing the praises of Bing – the search engine successor to MSN Live Search.

From every street corner and every television set, they’re calling upon the people to Bing and Decide. What Microsoft hope is that people will try Bing once and turn away from Google’s “information overload.”

Every SEO professional has an opinion. Bing isn’t advanced enough, Google have ruined their clean results page with sponsored links and embedded videos.

But what about the non-professionals? What about the people who don’t see search engines as a living, but as a means to an end. Luckily, I live with such a person. So I posed her a question. “Will you Bing and Decide?”

Her answer – why not?

Bing UK vs Google UK – The Test

I outlined three criteria to test the search engines on:

• Information
• Local Search
• Product Search

Laura would choose the key phrases herself and she’d analyse the results and report back to me. In order to make the search more natural, we decided on a common thread. To find out what we needed to set up our own aquarium, find a local pet shop and purchase a fish tank, then order a specialist accessory from an online shop.

Google vs. Bing – The Information Test

Search Phrase:  first time aquarium

Google Results

I found the search phrase a little strange, but Laura had no problem finding what she was looking for. The first result had all the information she needed, and she’d found it in under a minute.

Bing Results

This wasn’t a 30 second job. The first result was described as “useless”, so after scanning the SERP quickly, Laura tabbed open results three and four. Three was irrelevant, four too basic. After two minutes fruitless reading, we decided to call it quits.

Information Search - Google Wins

Google vs Bing – The Local Search Test

Search Phrase:  aquarium buy eccles

Google Results

Again, Laura’s choice of search phrase seems baffling to a professional – but she is the target audience. As I thought, Google Local was the star of the show here. I was informed that she likes the maps, and can see that the first result is nearby, relevant and as such no further browsing was required. Again, this took less than 30 seconds.

Bing Results

Somewhat strangely, Bing didn’t show us any local listings. After scanning the SERP, Laura decried the top result as “pointless – we’re not in Scotland” and took a look at result number five. Unfortunately a list of Manchester-based pet shops with no information on what they stocked wasn’t what she was looking for. Deciding that she couldn’t be mithered studying the results, Bing was abandoned after around a minute.

Local Search - Google Wins

Google vs Bing – Product Search

Search Phrase: specialist aquarium pump uk

Google Results

Google had romped into an unassailable lead, but we still had product search to cover. As I expected from such a focussed search phrase, Google’s first result was in fact a specialist aquarium pump from a UK stockist. And we could order online. Result.

Bing Results

And Bing’s results were just as focussed. Possibly out of pity, or just for a change, Laura decided she liked Bing’s position one result more than Google’s. Point to Bing. Finally.

Product Search – Bing Wins (Grudgingly)

Still the Best. Apparently.

So that’s fairly conclusive. My SEO layperson prefers Google, citing Local Search and Overall Relevance as key factors, although Bing was “prettier, but a bit rubbish“.

Laura hadn’t finished yet though. She insisted that relevance wasn’t the way she would judge how good a search engine is. No, she had her own test…

Laura Wilde’s Patented Music Lyric Search Engine Goodness Test (or Something)

You see, the only real way to see how good a search engine is, is to use it to identify songs by inputting snatches of half-heard lyrics.

Intrigued by this idea, I flipped on the radio.

“cast your mind back 10 years to the girl”

Google Results

At first glance, Google’s results didn’t look promising. However, the embedded video search caught Laura’s eye and she gave it a click. Sure enough, we were treated to the song we’d just heard on the radio. “Fire Brigade” by The Move.

Bing Results

At first glance, none of the results seemed to have the information we needed. Admittedly Laura only reads the titles, but still, we had to look more closely a second time. On the second read through, Laura spotted a YouTube link. Yes, it was the song we were searching for. It’d just taken her much longer to find it.

Laura Wilde’s Patented Music Lyric Search Engine Goodness Test (or Something) – Google Wins

So there you have it. The embedded video, the local search and the clutter that we all complain about isn’t just there to wind up SEOs. It’s there because the average user loves it.

It looks like the very “information overload” that Bing is holding up as Google’s Achilles’ Heel might just be the search champion’s major selling point.

And that’s why when people are asked to Bing and Decide, the decision most probably won’t be in Microsoft’s favour.

Have you used Bing? What did you decide? Share your impressions in the comments section.

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1. Is Google Automatically “Correcting” English Spelling?
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What only a few souls have noticed is that Google are attempting to force American spellings onto an unsuspecting British populace.

Google UK. The whole point of it, is that it provides information tailored to UK searchers. So it’d make sense that it defaults to the local language, right?

It certainly does in France and Germany. If you put “chien” into Google.fr, it doesn’t return a comment asking you if you meant “dog”. For some reason it doesn’t treat British English in the same way.

Imagine my surprise when I clicked on a Tweet this morning that took me to this page:

The searcher asked for “search engine optimisation”. All those words are highlighted, so they are in Google’s dictionary and recognised as words. So why did Google return a search on the query “search engine optimisation”?

This isn’t an isolated incident either. I tried a few single word searches. “Colonisation” for example works fine, But when I started to search for terms with more than one word, the defaulting to Americanisms reared its star spangled head.

So what does this mean? Are Google having trouble with their automatic spellchecker, or is it something more sinister? I wouldn’t for a moment entertain the notion that Google are attempting to create some sort of linguistic hegemony, but is it possible that they’re working to some sort of sinister agenda?

I’m not the only person to notice the creeping Americanisation, but there’s no concensus on why it’s been done. Dodgy spell checking? Cultural imperialism? Search volumes?

I’ll leave that with you…

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Over the past few months, I’ve noticed that I’m using my mobile phone (HTC Hero, if you care) more for surfing the internet than I do for making calls and sending texts. This is either representative of a shift in the way people use the internet, or just conclusive proof that I don’t have many friends.

Either way, the first thing you notice as a mobile phone surfer is that you want to spend as little time as possible using the handset’s web browser. Sites have absolutely terrible mobile versions, and the browser refuses to run in the background.

If you’re going to use the internet on the move, you’ll need Apps. So here are the Android Apps I just couldn’t live without.

For Tweeting: Swift

For weeks, I plodded along with TwiDroid. I hated it. It made the box standard “Peep” application look like the pinnacle of coding development. So I deleted it, installed Swift and never looked back. It lets me do everything I do on my desktop, which is all I wanted from it in the first place.

Swift lets you load internet pages up in the app. Words can’t express how much of a timesaver that is. Other than that, it works quickly, very rarely crashes (Take note TwiDroid!) and generally lets me keep up with my network when I’m out and about. It’s also been very useful in the snow, as @MatthewHill has to brave the Manchester Metrolink before I do.

For Keeping in the Loop: NewsRob

It’s the most reliable RSS feeder I’ve found for Android, and it integrated perfectly with my Google Reader. If you need to know the benefits of having instant access to your RSS feed when you’re on the go, then you’ve never spent hours waiting for a train. Just fill it with a mixture of entertaining, insightful and interesting feeds and watch the hours fly by.

For Finding Things to Do: FourSquare (for Android)

I’ll admit, I’m addicted to FourSquare. Maybe it’s the xbox geek in me that likes unlocking achievements just for buying a sandwich, or maybe it’s the sneaking suspicion that Roger Davies might well be right, but I can’t enter a cafe, shop or restaurant without searching for it and checking myself in. Even better, last time I was in London it helped me find a nice little pub where I spent an enjoyable morning before a tedious game of football (Brentford 0-0 Leeds).

For Finding My Way Home: Google Maps

Hands up all those of you who’ve found yourselves trying to decode a public information map at 3am, after a skinful. Just me? Fine. Well, instead of paying 90 odd quid to turn an iPhone or HTC phone into a TomTom, you can just use Google Maps. Installed as standard, the directions function works in real time, allowing you to navigate around. Ok, you couldn’t use it if you were driving as there’s no audio, but it’s perfectly fine for pedestrians. The only drawback is the power drain. it requires lots of processing power – and that’ll drain your battery.

For Keeping Myself Entertained on Dark Nights: Google Sky Map

What, you were expecting some sort of random boob picture generator? Unfortunately I couldn’t find one, so I have to content myself with a little bit of stargazing. Any app that lets me point my phone at a bright dot in the sky and then tells me what it is has to make my list. Plus it helps me look clever in front of the Mrs. A word of warning though – it has the same power issues as Google Maps, as it needs GPS and an internet connection.

If you’ve got an app you think I should try out, any feedback on the ones I like, or you just want to ask what this post has to do with anything, let me know in the comments section. Otherwise check back soon for something about SEO or copywriting. You know. The usual schtick.

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Photo by Jon_Marshall

Listen here lad, I’ve been making websites since the year dot and I know that all your Digs and Tweeterings are good for only one thing – spam email.     Trust me, all you need for them search engines is Meta Keywords.

I wish that quote was a work of fiction, but it’s not. It’s the befuddled claims of a web developer who I had the pleasure of arguing with over the phone last week. The methods he was promoting were sound and proven – but they’re now wildly out of date.

Don’t make the same mistake. Get up to speed with what you need to know if you’re planning on doing any SEO in 2010. These five steps won’t teach you everything you’ll need to know, but they’ll help you get started. 

1) Meta Tags are Old Hat

If you had your ear to the ground in 2009, you’d know that Google and Yahoo both disowned the former powerhouse of SEO, the meta keywords tag. They’re always likely to change their minds, but you shouldn’t think meta tags will magically cure poor listings. Put twenty words in the keywords tag, make sure your description carries your main phrase and move on.

2) Content is for Customers

The days of keyword stuffing are also at an end. That’s not to say that content isn’t vitally important. It is. But it’s important for your customers. If you’re worried that you’ll be promoting a website filled to bursting with repetitive keywords and dull copy, contact an SEO copywriter and ask for help. Otherwise, make sure your key words are where your clients want them – page titles, headers and scattered liberally across the copy to help skim readers glean context.

3) Links are your SEO Lifeblood

Links and anchor text. If you’ve not thought about where to get the former and how to write the latter, then you’re not going to rank well in 2010. If you’re serious about SEO, you need to get serious about links. Write linkbait, track down dofollow blogs and start networking. Hell, if you need a link for an SEO or copywriting blog, you could even ask me.

4) Social Media isn’t the Future. It’s the Present.

Ignore all those people out there saying “Twitter will” or “Facebook could”. Twitter has. Facebook is. Major search engines are incorporating information from social media sites. Canny SEOs are building up a good rep on Sphinn and Digg. Anyone with half an idea is promoting it on Twitter. These aren’t spam email generators. They’re link generators. Enquiry generators. Used properly, they will get you rankings and make you money.

5) This List will be Useless in 2011

Ok, it might not, but don’t take that chance. SEO is moving faster than ever before. With more and more of the world’s population going on line, the Internet will be flooded with new ideas. If Twitter changed SEO in 2009 and led to real time search, what could change the game in 2010? Keep your finger on the pulse and make sure you’re using the most up to date information. Subscribing to my RSS feed might be a start.

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2. New Years Resolutions for 2010
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Photo by MrMatze77

The end of a year can’t just be a time for retrospection and reflection. It should also be a time for wild speculation and crystal-ball gazing. Luckily, like Cassandra before me, I have been cursed with the gift of being able to see into the future with 100% accuracy.

So fire up your stock portfolio, get down to the bookies, or just prepare to tell all your friends that “I told you so!” It’s time for five completely accurate Social Media predictions for 2010!

Five Wildly Inaccurate Social Media Predictions for 2010

1) Twitter will replace verbal communications

Twitter has already completely revolutionised the way that homo sapiens communicates. If the papers are to be believed, Steven Fry doesn’t even open his mouth anymore. On the set of QI, he tweets his lines to a producer who then has to stitch his dialogue together from archive audio clips. And as anyone who’s read the Guardian Tech section knows, by signing up to Twitter you enter into a contract that states Mr. Fry will make all of your decisions.

By mid-2010, the streets will be silent and the Fail Whale will become the most recognisable image in human history.

Or in reality: Twitter is barely new and excititing as it is. It’s going to become just another communication tool. Like email.

2) Google will buy everything

On January 1st, Google will announce that their company motto will be changed from “Don’t be Evil” to “Total Global Domination”. By January 2nd, they’ll own everything – Facebook, Yahoo, your house. Matt Cutts will go from head of Web Spam to “Commissar for Thought Spam”, using a powerful new search tool to root out and destroy anyone who even thinks the word “Bing”.

By December 31st, Google will have patented actual robot spiders, which they will use to index the population and “cache*” dissenters.

*or maim. Maim’s probably the more likely of the two.

Or in reality: 2008 and 2009 saw Google investigated by the monopolies commission. Branching out is still a probability, but they might have to play it safe in 2010.

3) Confused and scared Silver Surfers will turn the power of their SimplicITy computers against the masses

For years now, anyone over the age of sixty has decided that they can’t work that Interweb thing and that they’d rather be knitting. Unfortunately, the modern world has different ideas and the tendrils of online interaction are snaking around the nursing homes of Britain. Soon the online sphere will be crammed full of unwilling elderly folk, all repeatedly hammering “Werther’s Original” into Google. Flickr will crash under the load of so many mis-labelled photographs of grandchildren, and Twitter’s new trending topics will be variations on “During the war…”

Or in reality: My Nan is already on Facebook. My Gran sends me email birthday cards every year. Silver Surfers are here, and they don’t need condescending to.

4) Social Media will become less about people and more about business

In 2009, chances are that you’ve read dozens of articles on why businesses should embrace social media. Unfortunately, evil capitalists have read them too. In 2010, going online will be like jumping into an ad break. Sneaky salesmen will pose as your friends in order to tell you about great offers, Richard Branson will personally reply to each one of your Tweets to tell you about Virgin Rail, and Alan Sugar will replace Tom as everyone’s first MySpace friend.

Or in reality: Social media has the power to revolutionise the way businesses interact with customers – but the power still lies with the average user. Business will bend over backwards to stop you sharing bad experiences.

5) Sites like Facebook, Bebo and MySpace will turn the next generation into asocial potato people

Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to the not-reactionary-scaremongers-at-all over at the Daily Mail. An actual SCIENTIST has said that FACEBOOK IS DAMAGING YOUR CHILD’S BRAIN!

That’s right, exposure to the INTERNET will turn any CHILDREN that aren’t MURDERED by gangs of PAEDOPHILES into DROOLING IDIOTS. This isn’t idle conjecture, or rabble-rousing in an attempt to get traffic. This is an UNDENIABLE FACT. FACT!

Or in reality: They won’t. 

So there you have it. Lock your doors and windows before Google’s Thought Police arrest your children. Be quiet though – don’t forget to mute the notification sounds on your Twitter App.

Share your predictions in the comments section below, or get in touch with Andrew through his Twitter account.

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Photo by Cesarastudillo

… that I don’t admit when I’m talking out of my back passage. Within 30 seconds of me posting my Google logo rant this morning, my self-righteous finger pointing was proven to be self-important gasbaggery.

@MatthewHill: (link to Google logos page) Second logo down.

Google Deutschland Berlin Wall Logo

Ah. That’d be a Berlin Wall Google logo. Admittedly it was only visible in Germany, but maybe the other Eastern Bloc countries genuinely care more about Muppets than the end of Communist rule.

Still, my indignation was only 50% codswallop. Why wasn’t Google UK wearing a poppy? Damnit, I have a nasty scratch along my elbow from poppy-pin based cackhandedness. They didn’t need to shed blood, but they should at least do something!

Ah.

Google UK Armistice Day Logo

Something like that I suppose.

I’m going to stick to copywriting. Social commentary in regards to search engine giants is just making me look foolish.

When I’m not making a moron of myself, I do actually write some good blog articles! Take a look at my theory on Pyramid Posting, or this analysis of the WHOSE RESPONSIBLE THIS! meme.

Or just call me a pillock in the comments section.

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1. Google’s “Historical Importance Test” – Be A Muppet

Alongside the usual public holidays, in 2009 Google have thrown us logos to mark the 57th anniversary of the Barcode, Confucius’ birthday and a nifty logo showing the Perseid meteor shower.

So then, November 2009. 20 years since the Berlin wall came down and changed the course of European history. Not to forget Rememberance Day. Surely Google has marked these two days with logos befitting their cultural and historical importance?

Not quite…

Google Marks the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Google UK Marks Armistice Day

So there you have it. Latest from the Google Algorithm:

Muppets > Collapse of Soviet Communism in Europe

Taking a Nap After 5 Days of Muppets > Marking Armistice Day

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So what does this mean? Does Page Rank really matter? Is the Toolbar rank so far removed from reality that it doesn’t matter at all?

Let me know your thoughts.

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1. “Breaking” News From Google HQ
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In other news, the Pope has announced that he is in fact staunchly Catholic, and a magazine in Canada has published a damning expose of the toilet habits of bears.

They go in the woods, it appears.

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