Internet Skills in Using Web Search Engines for Business Research
Google and Bing are two of the most widely used search engines today, with the former enjoying a majority share (Lucas, 2017). These engines aim to provide visitors with access to online information by conducting any type of search ; hence they possess numerous similarities. The users of each, however, are attracted by certain unique qualities like the volume of information, quality, and presentation. A listing may appear in the top ten in a search via Google but fail to show up in the top twenty when using Bing. It shows that there are fundamental differences between the two.
Comparison
The first noticeable item in the two engines is the total number of search results. Google has 1,330,000 while Bing has 531,000. There is a vast difference between the two, and this gives Google an edge since it means there is more information to be found than in Bing. Researchers will prefer as many options as possible when collecting data.
Google has a tab for ‘More’ where it lists the books related to the topic in question (Google Search, 2018). There are many books listed in this tab, and it helps the user to navigate through the various key sources of information. Books are a vital scholarly resource for researchers on any topic. Bing does not have an option for books hence Google offers the higher quality in this context.
Both search engines offer video searches for the topic in question but Bing offers a higher quality. The videos in Bing are arranged in a grid of thumbnails with the ability to preview a video by hovering a cursor over it. The thumbnail format offers access to many videos at a glance (Bing, 2018). One can also view the entire video without leaving the page. These features increase the speed and ease of access to the videos. Google, on the other hand, has its videos listed alongside the link location and a small screenshot of the video showing its duration. A viewer must click on a link and then return to scroll through others. Bing offers higher quality as far as videos are concerned.
Google offers a total of eight links with related searches at the bottom of the page while Bing offers five. Google provides access to ten other pages of the initial search at the bottom, after the related items, while Bing only has five. It implies that it is easier to peruse through many pages without opening a new tab while using Google than Bing.
The search bar in Google has an option of using voice input via a microphone to conduct the search. It is an advanced form of accessibility that gives users the flexibility of using voice commands instead of typing. This feature might come in handy when one does not want or is not able, to type. Bing only has the option of typing the message into the box.
The information provided by Google on the first page is slightly superior since most of the links consist of academic sources or government publications. Bing has several Wikipedia entries, websites, and a shopping link. I feel that Google has the kind of information that would help in the compilation of an academic search. Typing “Ethanol as” in Google offered “An alternative fuel” as one of the results as well as others relating to fuel. Bing offered the same result after typing “Ethanol as an.” It shows that Google is tailored to understand what visitors want and provide quick access to save time.
Conclusion
I feel like Google is the better option due to the higher volume of search results combined with the quality of the results. The information displayed was primarily academic and government publications, which are reliable academic sources. Google also allows quick access to relevant books, a feature that is lacking in Bing. Bing has a superior video display but it appears like it only beats Google in aesthetics rather than relevance of information.
References
Ethanol as an alternative fuel for motor vehicles – Bing. (2018). Retrieved from https://www2.bing.com/search?q=ethanol+as+an+alternative+fuel+for+motor+vehicles&FORM=HDRSC1
Ethanol as an alternative fuel for motor vehicles – Google Search. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=ethanol+as+an+alternative+fuel+for+motor+vehicles&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0_7-kl8LbAhVjMX0KHYHLDEIQ_AUICSgA&biw=1440&bih=794&dpr=1
Lucas, D. (2017). Bing vs Google: Search Engine Comparison. Retrieved from https://www.impression.co.uk/blog/678/bing-differ-google/
