Comparing search engines is not easy as the results will differ depending on the exact search query, the applied personalization and localization etc. Making an independent judgement is even more difficult when you already have a preference. Even the lay-out of the results will influence you as the most used is the most comfortable one.
This site http://blindsearch.fejus.com/ offers a blindfolded test where you choose the best answers before you get to see which engine delivered these.
The site is old and unfortunately the Yahoo results no longer work but as a comparison between Google and Bing it's still fine. It might be a good idea to come up with a new site comparing more search engines like DuckDuckGo, Hakia, Blekko and others.
The results surprised me. Bing scored much better than I expected. Try for instance 'NSA mathematics' or even better come up with your own search terms. The Bing image search is actually so good compared to Google's that I consider defaulting to Microsoft for all image searches.
Try it out for yourself. Do the results surprise you? #Tech
not a match. Google ftw
Comparison of regular results are outdated and matter less and less, even though for me Google was the best result most of the times.
For instance Bing is nowhere near the Google knowledge graph results showing on the right or any other non-regular result (word definitions, instant map results (f.i. 'restaurants near Dublin 1' shows a map,…). Lately about 80% of the time I don't even look at the regular results.
Also try comparing the results shown for Google on that site and the actual Google, they're not the same.
Oooooooo I could have endless hours of fun here! Well I just searched my own name and Google returned G+ as top result and Bing showed Facebook, quelle surprise 😀
Now joking apart I am absolutely sick of Wikipedia showing up top of most Google search queries especially as more often than not there is a large warning on the top to say the page is out of date/needs to be verified/edited. Surely Google should be able to filter these out?
Warning! The site doesn't actually present results correctly. I tried searching my own name using the site and the Bing results are correct when compared to the real thing. However, the Google results differ from what I get from Google. I double checked with incognito mode.
Another check was for the search term "Python for loops" where both the Bing and Google results where different from reality on the site.
Doing this test, my results are about 50/50. However, in the real world I get best results with Google. So either Google is the best search engine, or the way I search has been optimized for Google over all those years of using it. Or both. 🙂
Google all the way, dont need any site to tell me that.
Or, +Gijs van Dijk , as I just wrote, the results you compare are the wrong results 😉
50/50 between Bing & Google.
The results returned by the comparison site are US and non-personalized. If you want to compare you should set your location to the US for Google and Bing +Balder Lingegård +Joren Van Severen
+Gijs van Dijk yes, I became an expert in outwitting Google in getting me the results I'm looking for.
A skill I don't have on Bing, but with Google permanently optimizing for the most used case I get worse results than a few years ago.
If you're looking for depth Bing seems to be better. For a quick answer Google is great (but going straight to Wiki would often work just as well)
+Max Huijgen I tried using incognito mode and US search but still no match
I use search to convert units, translate words and short phrases, make calculations, get word definitions, get specific info about the weather, sports scores, local businesses, books, movies and music without having to click on a link. Image search where attributes like color, location, resolution and image type can easily be filtered is also very important.
For images Bing offers options for wide or tall in addition to everything Google has. Portraits can be selected 'head and shoulders' or just face.
Unfortunately the size options seem to be less precise +tobby o
Yahoo search is Bing now.
I try this test every so often and Google always wins, though the very last try, Bing got one win. It's always easy to tell when you ask for a patent query and Google takes you to it, Bing points you at Google. So I guess bing is accurate when it recommends you use Google for a search.
+Joren Van Severen Bing announced yesterday that they will offer improved instant results http://www.bing.com/blogs/site_blogs/b/search/archive/2013/09/16/next-phase.aspx
+Max Huijgen not bad, that might bring Bing closer to Google. Right now it's still a catching-up game though, as Google is already going to the next step, namely contextual (voice) search.
Even though I will never use Bing if I can help it, it would be nice to see some more competition in the Search industry, but it will be very hard for Microsoft to keep up or improve upon Google. Google has been doing Search for years and has countless other (imo superior) services that can be integrated with it (maps, translate, finance, drive,…).
Why say 'I will never use Bing if I can help it?' +Joren Van Severen
I'm completely agnostic to search providers. Whoever does best wins my 'business'
+Max Huijgen I don't like how Microsoft behaves, which, for me, is far more important. Same goes for Apple. If I can help it, meaning I have the choice and difference with alternatives is usable, then I will choose to avoid any Microsoft or Apple product.
You mean the Microsoft which goes after patents, fights open source and which doesn't support open standards by hiding behind its monopoly +Joren Van Severen?
+Max Huijgen yup, that Microsoft.
That Microsoft disappeared ten years ago +Joren Van Severen You could write the same sentence about Google nowadays.
That's kinda in contrast with reality imo +Max Huijgen. They may have embraced some standards, so they can control them rather, and haven't been in the news for patent-related things in the last few months. They're however still vendor-locking anywhere they can (e.g. the UEFI case) and heavily collecting patent related fees for all sort of things (including Android) and it's one of the main reasons they oppose most of the suggestions for a new patent system. There are many other reasons why I dislike Microsoft, their ridiculous scroogle campaigns and the infamous stack-ranking being two examples.
Google owned Motorola is the first convicted patent troll +Joren Van Severen