Why I Switched to Bing (And Why You Should Too!)

It came as a surprise to many when I tweeted that I had switched my default search engine to Bing. The general consensus many tech-savvy people have about search engines other than Google is that they’re all terrible. Granted, Google has done an excellent job establishing itself as the go-to source for information. Search engines like Bing and Yahoo! are used by a relatively small group of people, and that’s fine. Sort of.

I, too, used Google as my search engine of choice, and I, too, was mostly (probably only) concerned about optimizing my websites for Google’s search bots. Its popularity and reputation as the best in the business makes it the preferable choice. But I switched to Bing as my search provider, and I have reasons for that change.

However surprising and repulsive my Twitter followers may have found my transition to be, I had justified the switch to myself and was prepared to justify it to them as well; hence, this article.

When testing Bing’s search and comparing the results with those of an identical Google search, I found that Bing’s results were on par with those of Google, if not more preferable. The ranking of the top links was a bit different, although most of the first page links were the same. The information cards displayed by both sites upon searching for a famous person were almost indistinguishable, aside from minor rearrangements of information. In some cases, Bing provided a tad more information, such as the person’s Klout score.

For you Apple fans out there who had something to say when I left Apple’s arch-nemesis for their previous arch-nemesis, Siri uses Bing search whenever you throw something at her that’s not a request (and sometimes even when it is). So really, you’ve already used Bing search, probably without realizing the difference.

To be fair, Bing has been generally regarded as playing catch-up to Google, but it does appear as if they have finally caught up. Bing looks similar to Google, pulls up similar results, and gets the job done.

But why switch?

Glad you asked. Bing Rewards.

My first and foremost reason for making the jump from Google to Bing is because of Bing Rewards. Of course, that’s Microsoft’s intention behind establishing this system – using rewards to coax people into use their search engine – but I don’t care. I get solid benefits from this bribe.

Bing Rewards is a system of points gleaned by searching Bing while signed into a Microsoft account. Two searches equates to one credit, with a daily limit placed on credits for obvious reasons. After reaching a sufficient number of credits, they can be redeemed for rewards such as gift cards for Amazon, Starbucks, and other restaurants, as well as prizes like a month’s pass for Xbox Live and other Microsoft services.

For simply using a slightly different search engine, this sounds like a good deal to me. That’s why I switched, and I’m happy I did. Free stuff is always nice, especially when that free stuff includes a Starbucks gift card.

So go ahead and give Bing a try! Sign up with this link, and I’ll get a bonus when you reach Silver status. Help a brotha out!

Just do it. There’s no reason to refrain from giving it a test drive.