Which Search Engine Gives The Best Results

[vangogh]

You probably have a preferred search engine. The one you go to first for any search. If you're like most people that search engine is Google. But does Google really give you the best results?

Here's a fun little tool I found that lets you do a blind search (http://blindsearch.fejus.com/) to compare results from Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

You get the top 10 results for each without the branding so you can't tell which column is from which search engine. Look through the results and then vote which you think were best to reveal which set of results matches which search engine.

It's a fun and interesting test. I think it will work better if you use more specific queries as opposed to something general. Also note there are flaws with the system. It's currently not showing localized results, though that's generally what we really see when we search.

So far I've tried just a couple of searches. Turned out I preferred the Yahoo results for one and Bing for the other.

Which search engine is giving you the best results?

[Business Attorney]

Interesting. I tried about 10 searches. About half the time I saw virtually no difference between the three search results and did not vote for any of the three.

Of the other 5 searches, it was 1 for Yahoo, 1 for Google and 3 for Bing. Even then, though, the differences were very slight.

[KristineS]

That's kind of fun. I did two searches. On one Google came up on top, on one it was Bing.

Haven't done much but read about Bing yet. I'll have to try it out and see if I like it.

[vangogh]

It is interesting to see the results without the brand. David I actually tried more than 2 searches. I started with a couple of generic searches and didn't really see much difference. Even on the ones I voted for the difference was slight. All three seemed to have similar results at the top, though maybe in a somewhat different order. I voted more by one or two results included in the bottom 5.

It does show that you can get good results with any search engine. Most of us probably reach for Google first, because that's who we've been reaching for for awhile. The blind test shows maybe we can safely reach for any of them. My guess is if you ran 100 searches and really spent the time looking through the results to determine which were best, you'd find each engine supplied a healthy dose of the best results for each query.

[Business Attorney]

All three seemed to have similar results at the top, though maybe in a somewhat different order. I voted more by one or two results included in the bottom 5.

That was exactly what I found. One may have had one spammy site in the top 10 or maybe left out 1 or 2 sites that the others turned up, but the results at the top, usually in a somewhat different order, were mostly identical for the three search engines.

[phanio]

I got very similar results between Bing and Google. I use google mostly because it is easy as I have their tool bar in my browser. But, as I went through all the results on all three columns - there really did not seem to be that much difference. Kind of fun tool to see if you can guess which is which.

[Paper Shredder Clay]

I always use Google as the first search engine. Occasionally yahoo, if I am already on there checking yahoo email. I always make it a point not to click on the sponsors. I hate msn, I tried out their Bing just to see what it was like.

[vangogh]

I have all 4 (Ask included) search engines in the upper right of both Firefox and Safari and while I generally go to Google first I do check all of them at times. I also have some specialty searches set up for things like WordPress related stuff or search the Wikipedia for some quick info.

It's interesting because if you ask someone they're likely to say Google provides the best results, but is that really true anymore. I still go there first, but more and more over the last year or so I'm finding the results I get aren't so great. I'm actually reaching for specialty search engines more often.

[KristineS]

I just tend to default to Google, but I would like to try some of the lesser known search engines. I'm interested in trying Bing just because I've heard some buzz about it.

[dynocat]

It's interesting because if you ask someone they're likely to say Google provides the best results, but is that really true anymore. I still go there first, but more and more over the last year or so I'm finding the results I get aren't so great. I'm actually reaching for specialty search engines more often.


I just tend to default to Google, but I would like to try some of the lesser known search engines. I'm interested in trying Bing just because I've heard some buzz about it.

I use Google because it's set up first in my search bar too. Lately I've been really disappointed in the top picks. Many seem to be real info sites, but there is only one paragraph on the topic. Most have a long list of links in the navigation, but they go to what is essentially the same page with one different paragraph of text. What a waste of time.

I may have to give Bing a try.

[Harold Mansfield]

I'll be honest here, I checked my own search terms for some of my own sites and amazingly enough I fared better on Yahoo and Bing, although 80% of my traffic comes from Google.

I use Google as a default too, but I search so much everyday, I can find what I need on pretty much any of the 3 by refining the search parameters.

I don't think people who work on the web all the time will notice much of a difference, since we know how to get around the internet a little better than the average 5 hour a week internet user.

I am getting impressed by Bing. Even before I got the email newsletter announcing it, or saw any forum posts about it, I saw traffic from it a few days before which made me investigate, where as I almost never saw any traffic from Live.

[royhunters]

I voted for the one that my company website came up in 2 out of the 10 results!
LOL

It was Google...

But I am starting to like Bing... It seems to be growing on me and the daily photo's are cool so they are marketing it well.

Google results are getting to full of useless content. :-)

I dont care much for yahoo since they have been actively monetizing their organic results in order to keep the lights on... $49 per page for an "express indexing" and that is just for 1 page, if you have 10 interior pages it is $49 for each page...

Get real! I wish Microsoft owned them so at lest we would only have to deal with 2.

[vangogh]

Microsoft does now own Yahoo search. At least assuming the deal clears all the legal hurdles, which it probably will. It might take a couple of years before everything between the two is integrated as per their deal, but in couple of years Yahoo search results will be powered by Bing.

[royhunters]

When it is all said and done I will be happy... One less headache, 1 less PPC account I have to set up.

[vangogh]

That's how Microsoft hopes you see it too. They're hoping more people will be willing to open one account instead of having to open two and that more people will mean more bids leading to higher bids on the ads.