We are really excited about the news from Hitwise, search experts offering intelligence for online advertising and search marketers, which shows the gap between Google and Bing in the UK is slowly beginning to close. We still have a long way to go, but since Bing is the only search engine to increase its volume of searches from UK Internet users over the course of the last 12 months, we believe we’re offering a different kind of search experience that users want.

 

Google has built a very strong brand and it’s become a habit for people to use it. Breaking a habit is an unquestionably difficult task and we’re very proud to be making ground. The driving force behind Microsoft’s efforts for Bing is to offer users a search experience that is focused on better overall outcomes, not just search results. By understanding user intent, we can provide fresher, more relevant and actionable information to help people find whatever they are after to help them make the right choices and decisions.

 

The gain in market share is testament to the enhancements we’ve added to Bing since its inception in the UK.  We will continue to build our array of beautiful visual search galleries to make search more intuitive for people. In addition, we are currently developing Bing’s search capabilities on mobile, location and social, working closely with Windows Phone 7 and other partners to ensure we offer the best possible search experience now and in the future.

 

Alex Payne, Senior Director, Bing, Microsoft UK