Bing searches more accurate than Google's

Microsoft's Bing search engine, and even Yahoo, are providing users with more-accurate searches than their rival Google, according to a report out this week.

Bing and Yahoo, which is now using Microsoft's Bing search technology, had the highest search success rates last month, reported Experian Hitwise, an Internet monitoring firm. More than 81% of the searches on Bing and Yahoo sites led users to visit a Web site.

Google wasn't as successful with its January searches. According to Experian Hitwise, the dominant player in the search market had a 65% success rate.Computerworld

The above is only an excerpt. You can find the full article here.

I find this to be ironic after having recently posted this thread. What say you, OT?

I wonder if stuff like people using Google as a spell checker would have an effect since you don't necessarily have to click on a URL.

I still think Google has more accuracy and better results.

I wonder if stuff like people using Google as a spell checker would have an effect since you don't necessarily have to click on a URL.Foolio1

I'm not quite sure I understand. Why does the mere fact that a person visited a website based on the results of a search imply that the results were more accurate? Countless numbers of times I've visited a website that showed up in a search result just to check to see if it's what I'm looking for, and then immediately leave after finding out that it's not.

I can never find anything on Bing, I hate it.

Meh, still prefer Google over those two though.

[QUOTE="Foolio1"]I wonder if stuff like people using Google as a spell checker would have an effect since you don't necessarily have to click on a URL.Hexagon_777

[QUOTE="Foolio1"]I wonder if stuff like people using Google as a spell checker would have an effect since you don't necessarily have to click on a URL.Hexagon_777

Yeah, I know people who do it. I've been guilty of it before. I also wonder if stuff like Google Shopper are counted as well. A lot of times I will look something up just to see a range of prices, but not actually visit a site that it lists.

[QUOTE="Foolio1"]I wonder if stuff like people using Google as a spell checker would have an effect since you don't necessarily have to click on a URL.Hexagon_777

I contribute to Google's low score by performing image searches with obscene phrases. I do this a lot. And when I do, I usually just browse the image results for chuckles without ever bothering to click on any of them. Who knows how many hundreds (thousands?) of "unsuccessful" searches I've made this way?

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"][QUOTE="Foolio1"]I wonder if stuff like people using Google as a spell checker would have an effect since you don't necessarily have to click on a URL.BMD004

[QUOTE="BMD004"][QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]People use Google as a spell checker? What?Hexagon_777

I'm not quite sure I understand. Why does the mere fact that a person visited a website based on the results of a search imply that the results were more accurate? Countless numbers of times I've visited a website that showed up in a search result just to check to see if it's what I'm looking for, and then immediately leave after finding out that it's not.GabuEx

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"][QUOTE="BMD004"] I do. If I know what word I want to use, but the exact spelling isn't correct, I will get a little red squiggly line underneath. So since I know the word is wrong, I go to google, type it in, and see what their correction is.BMD004

Could it be that google censors the quick search and autofill results that have to do with torrents?

Just a thought.

Since many people search for such things directly from a search engine, google's consor could lower its success rates.

Teenaged

I'm not quite sure I understand. Why does the mere fact that a person visited a website based on the results of a search imply that the results were more accurate? Countless numbers of times I've visited a website that showed up in a search result just to check to see if it's what I'm looking for, and then immediately leave after finding out that it's not.

GabuEx

[QUOTE="BMD004"][QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]Since you obviously use a spell checker, why not just click to see the correct spelling right then and there?Hexagon_777

bing steals their results from google anywayxsynth

[QUOTE="xsynth"]bing steals their results from google anywayVerge_6

[QUOTE="Verge_6"][QUOTE="xsynth"]bing steals their results from google anywayHexagon_777

With Microsoft$$$

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"][QUOTE="BMD004"] I'm not sure I know how on my internet browser...BMD004

I use Bing, because Microsoft pays me Amazon gift cards for doing so. Oh, and I find what I'm looking for.

[QUOTE="Teenaged"]Could it be that google censors the quick search and autofill results that have to do with torrents?

Just a thought.

Since many people search for such things directly from a search engine, google's consor could lower its success rates.BMD004

[QUOTE="Teenaged"]

Could it be that google censors the quick search and autofill results that have to do with torrents?

Just a thought.

Since many people search for such things directly from a search engine, google's consor could lower its success rates.

BMD004

And I think they outright censor some specific torrent sites, including the sites of some torrent software.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]I'm not quite sure I understand. Why does the mere fact that a person visited a website based on the results of a search imply that the results were more accurate? Countless numbers of times I've visited a website that showed up in a search result just to check to see if it's what I'm looking for, and then immediately leave after finding out that it's not.Hexagon_777

I rarely care what the website itself is about; what I want to know is if what I'm specifically looking for is on the website, and the short excerpt frankly only sometimes tells me that.

[QUOTE="BMD004"][QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]Right clicking should be fine! :)Hexagon_777

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"][QUOTE="GabuEx"]I'm not quite sure I understand. Why does the mere fact that a person visited a website based on the results of a search imply that the results were more accurate? Countless numbers of times I've visited a website that showed up in a search result just to check to see if it's what I'm looking for, and then immediately leave after finding out that it's not.GabuEx

[QUOTE="GabuEx"][QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]Since there are short excerpts from the website that allow the user to see what the website is about, I suppose that it is assumed that if you read those and actually click on the link, that that counts as the search engine having done its job successfully.Hexagon_777

All I'm saying is that I wish to express healthy skepticism towards the idea that a person going to a website after having entered a search term implies that the search engine produced an accurate result, and vice versa.

[QUOTE="BMD004"][QUOTE="Teenaged"]Could it be that google censors the quick search and autofill results that have to do with torrents?Just a thought. Since many people search for such things directly from a search engine, google's consor could lower its success rates.Teenaged

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]

[QUOTE="Foolio1"]I wonder if stuff like people using Google as a spell checker would have an effect since you don't necessarily have to click on a URL.XxspritexX

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]I rarely care what the website itself is about; what I want to know is if what I'm specifically looking for is on the website, and the short excerpt frankly only sometimes tells me that.GabuEx

All I'm saying is that I wish to express healthy skepticism towards the idea that a person going to a website after having entered a search term implies that the search engine produced an accurate result, and vice versa.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]Then I don't know myself, for both offer short excerpts and it's unlikely that Bing consists of more people that do what you do as opposed to Google.

carrot-cake

All I'm saying is that I wish to express healthy skepticism towards the idea that a person going to a website after having entered a search term implies that the search engine produced an accurate result, and vice versa.

There was a funny study I read a while back (for which I unfortunately cannot find a link), which underscores Bing's real problem. Basically, in the study, they sat people down at computers and asked them to search on both Bing and Google for something, and then evaluate which returned better results. The people universally reported that Google produced better results. There was a catch, though: half of the people's computers swapped the results: the results retrieved from Google were placed within Bing's layout, and vice versa.

In other words, people rated Google above Bing completely regardless of the actual search results. They basically felt that Google was more accurate simply because it was Google. How Bing can compete with that kind of latent psychological training is a difficult question.

[QUOTE="Foolio1"]I wonder if stuff like people using Google as a spell checker would have an effect since you don't necessarily have to click on a URL.Hexagon_777

Hate yahoo. Bing is something I've not tried.

[QUOTE="carrot-cake"][QUOTE="GabuEx"]All I'm saying is that I wish to express healthy skepticism towards the idea that a person going to a website after having entered a search term implies that the search engine produced an accurate result, and vice versa.GabuEx

In other words, people rated Google above Bing completely regardless of the actual search results. They basically felt that Google was more accurate simply because it was Google. How Bing can compete with that kind of latent psychological training is a difficult question.

That sounds golden! Please find a link! You should have created a thread about it on here too, GabuEx! :(

Hexagon_777

I'm trying to find a link, but am coming up empty thus far. Not really sure what to search for that would uniquely identify it.

[QUOTE="Teenaged"][QUOTE="BMD004"] They censor things that have to do with torrents?Hexagon_777

From your own link which you posted earlier:

"Although uTorrent and Xunlei are excluded from results [...]"

Doesnt that mean you wont even get their sites in the search results?

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"][QUOTE="Teenaged"]Like I said, only in the quick search (the feature that searches while you type in real time) and the autofill. And I think they outright censor some specific torrent sites, including the sites of some torrent software.Teenaged

"Although uTorrent and Xunlei are excluded from results [...]"

Doesnt that mean you wont even get their sites in the search results?

[QUOTE="Teenaged"][QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]Do you have a link concerning the latter sentence? I would be curious on the matter myself.Hexagon_777

"Although uTorrent and Xunlei are excluded from results [...]"

Doesnt that mean you wont even get their sites in the search results?

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]That sounds golden! Please find a link! You should have created a thread about it on here too, GabuEx! :(GabuEx

theres no way that can be right