Try a Search Engine Blind Taste Test

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2009 9:50 AM CDT
Try a Search Engine Blind Taste Test
In this image provided by Microsoft Corp., a screen shot of the Bing search engine is shown.   (AP Photo/Microsoft Corp.)

So much of our search engine experience is based on branding, but who would come out on top without all the window dressing? Blind Search may help you figure it out. Designed by a Microsoft employee, it spits out unadorned results from Google, Bing, and Yahoo, only telling you which is which after you’ve voted on a favorite. Ryan Sager of True/Slant, an avowed Google-phile, took it for a spin.

Over five tests, Google took two rounds, Yahoo took two rounds, and Bing won one. Among all users, Google has won 41% of searches. But for Sager, choosing between the results involved a lot of hair-splitting. “No one is laughable; no one is head-and-shoulders above anyone else.” So if you have a fierce loyalty to a particular brand or interface, this probably won’t convert you. (More search engine stories.)

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