Brian Laesch .com

When Microsoft recently launched their new search engine, Bing (or at least, the marketing campaign), my first reaction was, “what’s the point?”  Then, I slowly started to get excited about the possibility of Billy Gates and the original bad boys of computer technology making a comeback and changing the face of the internet as we know it…

But unfortunately, I’m joining the naysayers who immediately wrote off Bing as just a new version of Windows Live (which it pretty much seems to be).  And here is why:

(To make myself and this blog feel more important, let’s call this a “case study.”)

As some of you out there know, I’m the Social Media Manager for a great free daily email newsletter based out of Los Angeles called The Rundown.  Basically, I run the viral marketing campaigns for the site and consult on social media strategy.  We use Google a lot (mainly AdWords), and I was hoping that Bing would bring us traffic as well.  The part of me that was previously excited about this possibility decided to check out Bing and the search results for The Rundown (not as part of my work, just as a personal experiment).  Unfortunately, I was even more disappointed than I thought would be possible…

Test #1:

I searched for the term “the rundown” on Google.  The Rundown (http://www.rundown.com) was listed fourth in the results.  Not bad, considering sites related to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s masterpiece, “The Rundown,” took up the top three spots.

Then, I went to Bing and searched for “the rundown.”  This is when my frustration began.  I went through 10 pages of results and The Rundown were nowhere to be found.  Yet our Facebook application showed up on Page 8 and our Facebook fan page showed up on Page 9.

Test #2:

I searched Bing for “rundown.com.”  Nothing.

I searched Google for “rundown.com.”  We were the number one result.

Great for Google.  Very bad for Bing.

Test #3:

I searched Bing for “the rundown newsletter los angeles.”  Nothing.

Test #4:

I searched Bing for “the rundown newsletter los angeles rundown.com.”

To quote the African-American gentlemen combing the desert in Spaceballs with a giant afro pick, “We ain’t found shit.”

Conclusion:

It was beyond frustrating.  Keep in mind that The Rundown has been around for well over a year, and recently surpassed 50,000 subscribers in the Los Angeles area.  It should be showing up in the results.  Especially when other rundown-related domains like run-down.com and therundown.tv are showing up.

I did find a “Bing URL Submission” form on Bing, to which I submitted The Rundown, but that was two days ago and I’m still waiting for the site to show up in the top-10 pages of results (or at all).

So it looks like we at The Rundown have no new angle with Bing.  And I can no longer support or promote Bing until it proves me otherwise.

I was hoping Michael Jordan would make a comeback.  Instead: Bing < Michael Jordan on the Washington Wizards

There wasn’t even a two-handed block against the backboard for me to get excited about.  Weak.

Brian Laesch approves the results of this “case study” for BrianLaesch.com.

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