Bing’s Path to Relevance and Destruction: Facebook

Often, the path to mass adoption in the tech world is through more and better features. The more cool things it can do for me and the easier it makes my life, the more likely I will use the product instead of a competitor.

For the last 10 years, outside of China, Google has adopted this model and achieved great success. The have had the most relevant results, the most steady business model and have continually added complimentary services that keep users attached and signed in. Routine is a wonderful thing.

However, as Google branched out into driver-less cars and failed products, many SEOs have theorized that Google has lost focus in their core competency, leaving the door open to a worthy search engine rival.

In fairness, this conversation happens every six months. From Yahoo! to Ask to Live! and now Bing (for the third time).

However, with the announcement of a Bing/Facebook collaboration, the No. 2 search engine adds Facebook’s wealth of data into their search engine results pages (SERP) in an effort to take on Google’s high relevancy.

For those not staring at their computer all day long, the new Bing works much like Facebook’s Like integration from early 2010, if users are logged into their Facebook account, Bing will have access to all public data from those user’s friends on the ‘Book and add it into the results. So if a user is looking for a certain product or service and the friend-o-sphere has Liked a similar product or service, it will be noted in the results.

Sounds simple enough, and something Google cannot replicate, even with Buzz, Twitter integration and Orkut.

While many wonder about the financial arrangement between the two is (and which one is paying whom), Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s pants were literally on fire* at the press conference when he stated, “I couldn’t think of anyone better to work with on the next generation of search.”

Right.

However, there are some benefits to a Bing/Facebook partnership, unless of course, for privacy proponents.

Uncovering New Media

The BingBook partnership allows all of Facebook’s public data to flow through the SERPs, and because users don’t know any better, a lot of media (photos and videos) are left to be searched by the general public. This may uncover a treasure trove of previously uncrawled or indexed media.

Finding People

According to the live event, 4 percent of searches on Bing are for individuals. Who doesn’t Google do vanity searches for themselves? In Big Brother Bing, they’ve added a “People on Facebook” section that will be triggered when it matches a friend or someone close.

Product/Local Searches

In theory, with access to everyone’s Likes, you won’t need a Yelp or other local rating services to determine relevancy. In Bing Social, you’ll see friends’ favorite restaurants, movies, handyman and daycare center giving the user immediate, relevant feedback.

All of this stuff is great. New features. New relevance. And again, others will claim this is the end of SEO or even worse, a “game-changer.”

It’s not. It’s the end of Bing.

In the near term, Bing will gain market share, but nothing substantial. Bing can’t come close Google’s SERP results (nor change existing behaviors) and has to once again pay an outside company to try. This doesn’t make Bing smarter, it makes it even more desperate.

Bing is nothing but a pawn. But you knew that.

If we’ve learned anything from Zuckerberg, it’s that he’s an excellent negotiator and the agreement is likely a one-side relationship. For Facebook. Zuck is merely biding his time, taking Microsoft’s money and learning all he can before ending the relationship to finally take Google head on.

There’s no other explanation for this deal.

Pick your side now, the socialsearchapocalypse is upon us.

Flickr photo courtesy of jacsonquerubin.

*Not true.