Bing vs. Google: Ranking Factors and Key Differences

Bing vs Google is a longstanding debate among tech enthusiasts and digital marketers alike.

As search engines continue to evolve and improve, it’s important to understand their unique features and capabilities to optimize your search experience.

In this article, we’ll delve into the details of Bing vs Google and explore how their respective strengths and weaknesses impact search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. By examining the similarities and differences between these two search engines, we’ll provide insights that can help you make informed decisions about how to optimize your website for maximum visibility and engagement.

One of the most common questions I get from people is, “What’s the difference between Bing and Google?”

According to Erika Varagouli, global content strategist at Semrush, there are eighteen alternative search engines to Google (you should also optimize your website); and Bing is ranked #1.

If you want to understand how Bing finds, indexes, and ranks websites, check out Bing’s SEO guidelines.

Optimize for Bing and Yahoo

Google, Bing, and Yahoo are the successful trio for SEO.

Consider this; as written on Clarity Ventures blog, we read:

“While considerably fewer searches are performed on Bing and Yahoo than Google, optimizing your website for them is still very important. Some of your most valuable potential customers may prefer to use Yahoo or Bing over Google. Some clients may only use Yahoo.

If your site isn’t optimized for Yahoo and is on the fifth page of their ranking, there is a slim chance that they will ever view your site. Your business can greatly benefit from both Google searchers and Yahoo and Bing searchers, which means  your website must be optimized for both.”

Google SEO vs. Bing: Ranking Factors

(Source: Oberlo)

Inbound agency, p80, has some interesting insights on Bing compared with Google. According to Adam Vosler’s article,

“Bing holds a 6.11% share of the U.S. market, according to Stat Counter.” That number drops to 4.14% for the U.K., 4.36% for Canada, and even lower for the Asian and African search markets.

Bing isn’t all bad news. Some studies show Bing may offer certain advantages over Google, including:

• Lower bounce rates.
• More page visits per session.
• Higher average time on site.
• Higher subscription signup rates.

How Do You Optimize Your Website and Blogs for Bing?

“Optimizing your website for Bing is similar to optimizing for Google. Bing has its own ranking algorithm (called BERT), but it has much in common with Google. It helps the search engine understand what words mean within a given sentence and  broader context.”

Key difference: Bing factors “social signals” into its rankings. Here’s a quote straight from Bing on the matter:

“If you are a social influencer, your followers tend to share your information widely, resulting in Bing seeing these positive signals. These positive signals can have an impact on how your site ranks organically in the long run.”

Think Beyond Google

Eli Schwartz, Growth Advisor at Eli Schwartz, advises that not all SEO optimization has to revolve around Google.

“If you’re targeting an audience in countries where Google is a lesser force, you’ll need a different strategy.

For example, Google is banned in China, and you’ll want to rank on Baidu, which serves the Chinese audience.

Similarly, Yandex is Russia’s go-to search engine; you’ll want to optimize for it if you’re targeting Russians.

Even if most of your audience is on Google, don’t forget search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo, which have their respective user base.”

Optimize for Natural Language Search

Sidra Condron, Director of Marketing at SpyFu, writes:

“Search engine queries are often phrased in everyday conversational language, known as a natural language search. Natural language search optimization is a crucial SEO step if you’re trying to appeal to users of voice search, who are usually in the mood to make a purchase. Natural language search is Bing’s main focus.

Google does its natural language search business via Google BERT. BERT is the search engine’s neural network for natural language processing. It gives Google a more nuanced and realistic understanding of sentence-length searches. It also helps Google to parse conjunctions and other modifiers properly so that the results it returns are relevant.

While it is not possible to optimize for Google BERT,  an approach similar to the one used to optimize for natural language on Bing will yield the right results. Content is more likely to land top ranking or a featured snippet through Google BERT if it is written to answer specific questions. We can see one of Google’s examples of BERT in action below.

Here, the search item is “do estheticians stand a lot at work[?].” Before Google BERT’s introduction, a more generalized piece of content ranked first. With Google BERT in effect, a piece of content that answers that specific question has taken the top spot.

Develop question-oriented content that will help you catch natural language searches that are relevant to your product. For instance, if you find that your user personas are conducting many natural language/voice searches for the question “How can I improve my company’s SEO performance?” you can build content centered on that particular question.”

Act Local

Digital Media Strategist Nicole Rende wrote:

“Bing favors websites with well-optimized local listings, so make sure you claim your listings like a champ with www.bingplaces.com.

In addition to these to-dos, it is also important that you use the same ethics and standards as Google and avoid the following:

• Cloaking
• Shady Backlink Strategies (i.e., paying for links).
• Shady Social Media Strategies (i.e., increasing the number of followers too fast).
• Duplicate Content.
• Too Many Keywords Within the Content.”

Closing Thoughts

Understanding the difference between Bing vs Google is crucial for your website’s SEO success. While

Google dominates the search engine market, Bing is still an important player that should not be ignored. By optimizing your website for both search engines, you can reach a wider audience and increase your visibility online.

Remember to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in SEO to stay competitive in the ever-changing search engine landscape.

At Flying V Group, we understand the importance of a comprehensive SEO strategy that takes into account both Bing vs Google. Our team of experts can help you develop a customized plan that addresses the unique characteristics of each search engine and reaches a wider audience. Contact us today to learn more!