Their competition is resulting in innovation. Bing and Google are leading the way in visual search, however they define term differently. Google Goggles incorporates pictures taken with the new Android phones that relate to the subject of the search. Bing uses public domain photos previously uploaded to their database within certain categories. The difference is that Google users define how comprehensive the visual search can become, an organic approach if you will. Bing is building their visual search internally by adding one category after another, an artificial approach. Yahoo has a visual search that only deals with music and videos according to their strategy of becoming a more personal experience for its users. It will be interesting to see which approach will grow faster and be more valued by users.
Another innovation is of value to business users. Google is leading in this area by publishing Twitter and other social media feeds into related searches. This is an opt-in search function meaning that you can choose whether or not to display them on your search results. Businesses interested in researching their target market, trends in their industry, and managing their brand use this as an invaluable tool. Bing has opted not to include social media feeds as they claim business block most social media sites. Like Google, Bing uses GSA to search across content management systems, business applications, portals, intranets, fileshares and websites.
Yahoo is revamping their search but decline to release anything until their deal with Microsoft is finalized. They may be on the trailing edge of innovation at the moment, but they may be able to pick up the slack after learning from Google or Bing's mistakes.
The three Search Engine giants are in a leap-frog style race for search engine marketing dominance. Google seems to be leading with Bing nipping at its tail while Yahoo is limping behind. I will do my best to keep you up-to-date on the latest innovations from these companies, how they will help your business, and why you should take advantage of them. As always contact your Internet Marketing experts at www.wsimagicweb.com to access free monthly webinars, learn about ways to use technology to build your business and stay on top of your competition.
