At this point, of course, it depends a bit on who you ask and how long you’re prepared to wait. Bing did have a good second week: based on ComScore numbers, Ina Fried over at CNET News reports that Bing added another percentage point (now up to a total of 3 points, post-launch) to its share of all Web searches.
For a longer view, check out Christopher Hosford’s B to B Magazine piece (we liked his title so well, we borrowed it above!), which presents opinions both pro and con. The consensus seems to be that the all-important ad dollars won’t swing in Microsoft’s direction until Bing materially changes the relative shares of searches conducted (historically 64% Google, 8% Microsoft Live Search) …and no one expects that to happen very quickly. However, Chris quotes a Forrester Research VP (Shar VanBoskirk) opining that Bing “could be a game-changer” that will “appeal to the savvy searcher seeking more relevant search results.”
Bing represents Microsoft’s 5th run at a search entry – at least in terms of branding – and they do have a track record of getting things right (enough) …eventually. We’ll be watching, and keeping you up to date.
