Will Bing make a ding?

Since Microsoft officially announced their new search engine Bing on Thursday it seems to have impressed many critics and is showing definite improvements over its predecessor Live Search. But does Bing have what it takes to make an impact and claim a decent chunk of the market share? Here we will look at various aspects and issues that may contribute to Bing being either a success or another disappointment for Microsoft.

Does it have a ring?
So to start off, does the name have a ring to it? Compared to Microsoft's previous search iterations (MSN Search, Windows Live Search and Live Search) it is obviously a lot sharper and more memorable and compared to the other suggestions that were floating about (Hook and Kumo - which was used as the codename for internal testing - and even Sift and Swivel) Bing is also a lot catchier. The onomatopoeic aspect is a slight bonus and goes along with the idea of it being the sound of the "moment of discovery" (think of when a lightbulb appears over someone's head in a cartoon), however annoying the sound can get. It also works better as a verb than the other names; you can google something and now you Microsoft want you to bing things as well.

Will people sing?
People have already been singing the praises of Bing. Rafe Needleman from CNET was initially sceptical of what the new search engine would be like, as I imagine lots of other technology writers were or are, but was pleasantly surprised. After actually using it he was won over and even noted that "it beats Google in important areas." Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was another to be unexpectedly impressed, telling Yahoo!'s Tech Ticker that it was one of "the most astounding software demos" he'd seen and that he'd like to give Bing a try.

What about the king?
Google is undeniably the king of search. With a very strong brand and user experience with market dominance, there's no way Bing could ever catch up. Bing is not Google and nor is it a 'Google killer', I'm sure Microsoft realise that. Going back to Rafe Needleman for a second, he thinks that "Bing makes Google look complacent, and that's not good for Google" yet we have all seen in the past that Google is not complacent and always seems to be innovating. When search is your main business, you're going to pay more attention to it. As for the Google brand, it is now a way of life for most when looking for anything on the internet and has simply become the de facto standard, regardless of the results it produces. There are even rumours that Google have conducted internal tests where they pass off other search engines' results under the Google logo and found that people still prefered them just because of the branding. On the other hand, I know people who seem to never type a URL, they have Google set as their homepage and type in the name of the website they want to get there because they are just complacent with Google knowing it all and being the easiest thing to do and are stuck in the habit.

Will it take wings?
Will Bing catch on with the ordinary consumer and will it take off and become popular? Microsoft are expected to spend up to $100 million on an advertising campaign for Bing, spanning the Internet, TV, radio and print. The campaign will, apparently, try to convince users that the search engines they are currently using (without mentioning names) don't actually work as well as they think and that they could solve more of their problems by switching to Bing. Advertising agency JWT are rumoured to be in charge. No-one knows how well the ads will work and surely Microsoft can't just keep throwing money at a non-core business during the economic downturn (or the economic reset as Steve Ballmer nicely puts it). Whether consumers will take to Bing, and if so for how long, remains to be seen but stranger things have happened.

Does it have any zing?
The current Live Search service definitely lacks a zest in terms of, well, nearly everything. Its US market share seems to have stagnated somewhere between five and ten percent and showed no real sign of improvement. Can the evolution from Live Search to Bing breathe a bit of life into Microsoft's search product. Overall the product seems to be a lot better - a better experience, better results, better interface and of course a better name - but will this translate into a lasting better product once the 'newness' has worn off?

Kerching?
Will Bing make a profit for Microsoft and be sustainable? The new experience of Bing apparently focuses on four main search verticals: shopping, travel, healthcare and local. With Bing the revenue seems to come from advertising and as well as the traditional "sponsored link" style ads, it appears that companies can pay to be featured within the shopping, travel and local sections. Also with the shopping vertical, the cashback program not only provides some cashback to the consumer but companies have to pay for their products to appear so, as I'm lead to believe, with every purchase you make Microsoft also receives some cash.

The real thing?
By the middle of next week Bing should be available worldwide. We'll then see if Bing lives up to the small cloud of hype that it has so far created and whether it really is good enough to take some of Google's users.

Warning: editorial. May contain opinion. The views expressed here are those of the author, do not necessarily represent those of Neowin, and definitely don't represent those of Chandler Bing or Bing Crosby. Bada bing. Bada boom.