How to “Bing” Down Google
Posted by Holly in Interesting, SEO Website Optimization
Guest Post by Trip Peterson.
Bing is Wasting 100 Million Dollars to Take Down Google. And It Will Not Work.
Bing is a search engine created by Microsoft, which is attempting to take a chunk of the search market from Google. Microsoft is serious with 100 million dollar advertising budget.
So will 100 million dollars and a decent search engine beat out Google ?
NO! Not even close. Maybe Microsoft should spend 200 million or maybe a billion. It wouldn’t matter. Even if Bing was just as good, or better than Google - It wouldn’t matter. To take down the greatest business of our time, will take some nontraditional methods. Taking the wrong approach and multiplying it 100 times, doesn’t make it the correct approach.
Why won’t Bing work?
It’s simple. People will always take the path of least resistance. If there are two options that are equally appealing – the option that is most familiar will almost always win. Google is an awesome search engine. Most people have GMail, they use Google Maps, they have the Google Toolbar installed. Why switch to Bing? Microsoft can spend an infinite amount of money telling me to use Bing – but, I don’t care and I won’t. Google works and I’m accustomed to using Google. So that’s it then- Google will always win. But, BING could have decided to go the nontraditional route.
How do You Take Down Google?
Google is one of the greatest success stories of all time. Overcoming Google requires a unique approach – a crafty approach – a creative approach. So Microsoft- listen up. I’m about to provide a way to take down the greatest company of our time.
Give away 1 million dollars every day for 100 days to a random Bing searcher.
I think you will find your money goes a longer way than silly TV commercials and banner ads. Imagine the hype this would generate. Imagine the social buzz this would create. Imagine the press this would receive. Most of all- imagine all of the Google users that would switch to Bing for a chance to win a million bucks. These users for 100 days would now be Bing users- doing Bing searches, using the Bing toolbar in place of the Google toolbar, using Bing’s maps and becoming a “binger.” They may even learn to love Bing. For 100 days Bing would own the search market share. At the end of 100 days Bing would be the path of least resistance.
Microsoft, If you are reading this and need any more marketing advice please contact me at my Gmail address. 
27 Responses to “How to “Bing” Down Google”
Leave a Reply
Kerry Mann
27. Jul, 2009
Great post and creative title, Trip !
Garry
27. Jul, 2009
Clever . . . and who knows it might work. Offering a daily million dollar give away would certainly inspire me to use Bing . . . though I’d probably double check with Google once in a while.
I think it’s hilarious though that your cartoon depicts Microsoft as David against the Goliath Google. Microsoft as the righteous “David” . . . I think not. Microsoft has been the bully Goliath in so many spheres and squashed so many new and promising startups over the years that I will never view them as the underdog.
If Microsoft every feels that Google has some sort of unfair advantage, I would only ask them to look in the mirror.
GARRY
SEOKudos
27. Jul, 2009
How to “Bing” Down Google…
Kudos for a great SEO article – Trackback from SEOKudos…
Holly
27. Jul, 2009
Thanks for the comments and thanks for the post Trip. The image is kind of funny and I agree with Garry!
Holly
27. Jul, 2009
Oh also – I love the marketing idea for Bing. I would switch over if I had a chance to win a million dollars
…that would definitely cause a huge stir in the media.
Doug Dillard
27. Jul, 2009
I absolutely agree that would definitely build up a ton of hype and get a lot more people to at least try Bing for 100 days… but I have tried them and it is nothing to get too excited about.
With all the FREE stuff Google gives us to play with and use in our everyday business… and how they are all hooked up to our Gmail account…. Microsoft could give away 10 Million dollars a day for 100 days and still not take that big of a bite out of Google.
Great post!
Davin-The Viral Sanctuary
27. Jul, 2009
Oh I love that cartoon. It sure gave me a great laugh.
And yes, for a chance to win a million dollars I’d certainly give it a go to.
Great post…it gave me a good chuckle Holly!
Dav
tecleandolo » Blog Archive » Como Bing derrogaria a Google
27. Jul, 2009
[...] es un escrito con algo de humor que trata de la estrategia que Microsoft debería seguir para que Bing logre desbancar a Google, puesto que, como a todos nos queda muy claro, no lo [...]
Annna
28. Jul, 2009
I think it’s a great idea and a very good point – it would take over a lot more of the market share than TV ads. At least mine – I don’t watch TV lol.
But I don’t know if 100 days is enough to totally take over. People might switch back after the excitement was over. I think $1000 for 1000 days would be much more effective. After all, how many people would search on Bing for a smaller chance of winning a million, but wouldn’t search on Bing for a larger chance of winning $1000?
Also this will give their new strategy much more time to spread virally and get all kinds of media and attention, as well as come to the attention of more Internet users, including those who are not so in tune and are not online that often.
Anna
28. Jul, 2009
Oops I misspelled my own name and how I have a ghost avatar
Marvin
28. Jul, 2009
Brilliant summary of marketing in one economical phrase “the path of least resistance”. No complex formulas or secret codes just one basic principal to which most will relate without much additional explanation.
Well done Holly and, yes indeed Microsoft should be paying close attention to your idea. Would I switch for a chance at million bucks – you bet, but I’d only give up my Gmail for 2 million
Lapsed Pastafarian
28. Jul, 2009
I like Bing, I like the way the page pic changes everyday. I like the way videos are previewed. Still use Google though. It’s just inertia. Time to change it.
Phil
28. Jul, 2009
Agreed Garry, when Google Chrome OS is released then the cartoon depiction will apply in reverse. Ooh I can’t wait.
Jesse
28. Jul, 2009
Great post, going to RT this one.. I like your ideas.. million bucks a day, or week even would surely get some interest.. or, they could just give me a million because I’m so cool and I would tell my 3 friends to use bing.. either way
Trip
29. Jul, 2009
Thanks guys for the comments. If you enjoyed it please Digg it.
I hope to write a few more guest posts for Holly in the future.
Anna
29. Jul, 2009
Speaking of switching for a million dollars – if I had a million dollars, I might pay it for a new Operating System! I can’t wait till Google’s OS is out!!!! I hope so much they revolutionize this MADNESS.
I am not critical. I am not speaking of any particular OS …
Cher
29. Jul, 2009
I don’t think Bing is a total waste of time and money. It will have strategic alliance with Yahoo to beat Google.
Klaus @ TechPatio
30. Jul, 2009
Not a bad idea you got there. I don’t know how well it would work for them, but I suppose I would be doing a few bing searches every now and then – just in case I end up at the $1 million dollar page
Personality Marketing
30. Jul, 2009
I’m ready to bing, sign me up…gimme the money! Lol.
Sometimes I wonder if people put any thought other than “this would be cute” into their ads…
Holly
30. Jul, 2009
I agree Klaus. I think it’s a great idea – I would use it for a month if I knew I had that chance as well.
Holly
30. Jul, 2009
Same here JK! lol
Usman Shahzada
01. Aug, 2009
I rarely use any other search engine other than Google so even Microsoft spend 200 millions dollars on advertising their search engine BING i wont use that
BriggsTown
05. Aug, 2009
No marketing will work for BING if it doesn’t give relevant search results. They are making a splash on TV with all those commercials, but the negative effect from millions of word-mouth blogs like this site is 100 hundred times more powerful.
They need to clean house over at MS because they have the same problem in almost every industry they get into. Video Games, DVR, Windows OS etc. etc..
Holly
05. Aug, 2009
Good point Briggstown. And you’re right – that if they don’t give relevant search results, nothing will work anyway. The other thing in my opinion (and I’m not the one who wrote this) is that they better have something quite different; an angle or some features that are just astounding. They need a “wow” factor to really spread the word and get users to switch from Google. I wouldn’t do it unless it had some incredible “new” features and uses. Otherwise there is no reason for me to switch – as Google is awesome and I use all the google tools out there.
woombagoomba
07. Aug, 2009
No this post is all wrong!! The way to take down google is to inform people that everything they search for is saved in a huge database and every email subject line sent through gmail is saved with your email address.. Also inform them that one of the biggest supporters of the global warming hoax is THE number 1 offender of all the things they and the dems complain about!!!
googles carbon footprint is the largest in the world.. I don’t use google any more way to many adds and way to intrusive..
Bewildered by People
05. Oct, 2009
Amazing….
A lottery style campaign to get people to switch to Bing?
Sounds great in an extremely simplified way, kind of like how children think.
Meanwhile in the real world it would be no more effective than Microsoft’s current commercial endeavors. Either the damn thing works better than Google or it doesn’t it is as simple as that. So far even the mighty Google does not work as advertised. Simple searches work great, want to find a website to learn about apples, search for apples and you will find many fruit based websites and of course Apple computer, software etc. but search for Limnonectes megastomias the “new” species of fanged frog discovered and 9 out of the first 10 results are fake and lead to sites offering to scan your computer for the virus your computer just “found”. In reality only when you agree to allow the “search” to take place is there any virus, which you just agreed to download!
We find this type of search result on a daily basis on Google. So as cool as everyone else seems to think Google is it is still a infant in the real search engine world. Sure it gives 375,000 search “results” in .035 seconds unfortunately after the first 35 entries the results have very little if anything to do with what you were searching for.
So if you want to praise Google for doing the exact same thing as Yahoo and MSN search does/did it seems you have been swayed by the applications Google offers and not the search results. We have proved repeatedly that Google’s Yahoo’s and MSN’s search engines come up with the EXACT same results no matter what word one searches for. Leaving open the possibility that the ONLY reasons people embraced Google so heavily was the fact it was not Microsoft and not Yahoo, later Google added more and more apps including Gmail but for the most part these apps have nothing to do with the search engine and to tie them together as a reason to use Google as a search engine…. Ridiculous.
A message to:
woombagoomba, you are highly inaccurate with your statement about Google’s Carbon Footprint. Try reading more than one source for such a bold statement, the professor (Wissner-Gross) that actually did the study you are trying to use as a reason not to use Google, NEVER stated what was printed and credited to him. Shortly after the news broke (less than a week) Professor Wissner-Gross corrected the original article as he was not only misquoted, but the Sun Times actually made up their numbers! The actual study contains no data on Google and does not specify any figures for any search engine but rather how much Carbon was released due to a user initiating a search! Another successful myth propagated and kept alive by people’s gullibility in believing whatever they read on the internet, in newsprint or on TV. Shameful and disturbing.
Victor Dillion
16. Nov, 2010
I already use Bing! I still need a million though!