Google vs. Bing/Yahoo SEO in 2017: Comparison & Biggest Differences
A #1 ranking on Google means significantly more than a #1 ranking on any other search engine. Google dominates the market.
The path to return on investment in search engine optimization runs through the kingdom of Google.
But as of mid-2017, it’s a kingdom—not an empire. Google can’t boast a complete monopoly on the industry. Bing and Yahoo (whose search engine is powered by Bing) comprise nearly 13% of market share. In certain industries 20% of your potential business may be attempting to find you via Bing/Yahoo.
Perfecting an SEO Strategy Means Understanding How EVERY Search Engine Works
Identifying the differences between Bing search and Google search is crucial to embarking on a comprehensive SEO campaign to cover the bases on every major search engine—not JUST Google.
1. Exact Match vs. Contextual Search
Bing provides exact match results – search “pizza near me” and Bing will take it literally and show you pizza closest to you.
Google makes some assumptions when you search “pizza near me.” They’re assuming you want something people generally like (think positive reviews). They’re assuming you’d prefer something established (think domain authority). AND they’re not assuming the closest is the most appropriate option — a good % of these searchers will be ordering for delivery. Being further from your current location may not be an issue. They’re assuming you’ll prefer pizza places whose website you’ve been to frequently.
The larger point: Bing/Yahoo interprets searches much more exactly than Google. Google regards the context of a search beyond the exact words themselves. In some situations, advantage Bing.
But for the most part, Google’s ability to draw the right inferences and understand semantics puts it at a tremendous advantage for more detailed searches.
Verdict: Optimize a very highly focused SEO approach with pages satisfying every possible profitable search query. Bing doesn’t have to think; Google doesn’t have to guess.
2. How Google & Bing Treat Hidden Text
Say there’s a section on your site where there’s an option to “read more.” You click and text is revealed in a dropdown or slider (you remain on the same page). Whatever you reveal Google regards as “hidden content” – something a user cannot see with interacting with the page.
Bing doesn’t distinguish hidden content from regular text. Google DOES. Writers often try to manipulate search engine crawlers by hiding text like this to pump a page full of keywords but never show it to a user. Sometimes it’s as blatant as having text with the same color as the background. Google has addressed the issue by disregarding hidden text entirely – Bing/Yahoo remain vulnerable to these kinds of black-hat SEO tactics.
There’s a middle ground here both sides would love to find. Google is beginning to learn how to interpret JavaScript – this could be the key to making hidden content permissible for SEO on EVERY search engine in the near future.
For now? Hiding content is a red flag.
Verdict: If you think content should be hidden, the content probably isn’t valuable on that page. Don’t plan on ranking for any keywords you’re hiding from users—on ANY search engine.
3. Backlinks & Domain Authority
Google toots the horn of quality content. They will index your page regardless of whether or not there’s another website that links to it. Launching a new page and earning a place in search results doesn’t require earning a link from anywhere else on the web.
Bing operates differently. If a page isn’t linked to from any other website, they will wholly disregard it. Bing isn’t interested in indexing every page on your website like Google is. The domain is still very important in Bing. Match the domain with the biggest keyword you’re trying to win for (which is tough these days) and you’ll be ship-shape in Bing.
The rub: Google’s algorithm is far beyond Bing’s. Because Google is very good at deriving the meaning of a page from the code alone (on-page SEO factors), “the proof” in domain authority or backlink profile is less important. You don’t need to own www.personalinjuryattorney.com to win for “personal injury attorney.” Google understands there are hundreds of other important variables in play beyond the words in the domain.
Bing needs someone to tell them “yeah, this is good” before they confidently rank something. Google? Nope.
Your awesome domain is only valuable if you prove the value of the site by satisfying user queries. You still must have great content.
Verdict: Every trend points toward just create the best resource for the user. Backlinks and domain authority are nice but decreasing in importance.
4. Google Loves Text, Bing Loves Multimedia
Google puts a lot more weight in text and content-heavy websites. Bing is more likely to reward pictures, videos and audio. Bing will recognize flash as valuable while Google has completely abandoned it.
Bing’s algorithm is stronger in deciphering the meaning of video, imagery and audio. Incorporating a greater variety of media into your website gives your users a deeper user experience and a greater likelihood of preserving their business.
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Google is a master at connecting the dots within text and understanding a hierarchy of information. Bing is more adept interpreting the value of multimedia.
Verdict: Create great content rich with video, audio & imagery to rank #1 on any search engine.
In Conclusion…
Consider Bing as Google 10 years ago. As Google improves, so will Bing. In 10 years Bing will be closer to what Google is today. There isn’t a long list of Bing-specific optimization tactics. If you’ve optimized the site well for Google, you’ve already made plenty of headway with Bing.
Fulfilling users’ queries is the present and future of search. Polishing up around the edges with dynamic multimedia-deep content, meticulous keyword inclusion and highly focused exact keyword matching puts you in a great position on ALL search engines.
