Even if the search results are on par or better, (and I must say they most certainly are), unfortunately I will still choose Google to search with! In fact, sometimes I get so disgusted with myself for using Google all the time, that I will set my homepage and default search to Bing to force my use of Bing’s search engine. I shouldn’t have to do that because their homepage displays really cool pictures every day, their results are just as good or better, they are fast, and quite frankly they haven’t adopted some of the more annoying aspects of Google’s recent changes.

So, what happens when I change all my default search to Bing?

Not only DO I NOT use the Bing search from either the home page or my default search bar, but I go out of my way each time I want to search for something by opening a new browser tab; manually typing in Google.com, then carrying out my search query there.

OMG! Wha? Why!?

Well that’s a bit of a tricky question to answer because I believe the answer has to do with human psychology.

I’ve thought about the Google vs. Bing paradox a thousand times. In fact I’ve thought about Brand X vs. Google a thousand times and here is what I’ve come up with:

Google has embedded their company mantra into people’s brains. In the human mind they have become the ONLY available tool that can be used for getting an answer to whatever question. The correct answer that is.

How did this happen? I think it’s really simple actually. It comes down to 3 things:

1) It wasn’t about the money: They started off becoming focused on the user and results regardless of monetary gain when all other competitors were focused on displaying sponsored listings.

2) They became minimalists: They stripped away everything but their logo, a search box, and a button when competition and other websites were piling on the confusion in what was to be named the ‘portal’ era. It was refreshing to see a simple page with so much white space. At the same time your ONLY focus was the Google logo and thus their brand.

3) Repetition: If you repeatedly used Google, then you repeatedly looked at that blank page with nothing but their logo day in and day out. Millions of queries later and you have associated that logo with getting all your questions answered. So after a certain point, (probably the 11,000th query and the 5,300th straight day of searching) Google has officially fused it’s logo with your DNA. Someone probably asks: Hey, what’s your name? You respond with Uh Google… er I mean Zack?

Can any other search engine compete with this? Yes! How? By doing exactly what they did!

Bing I officially challenge you to push the envelop. You have half the battle won: Better search results. The other half the battle is the human mind. I can see that you are trying. Just do more of that.

Lots more:

Release PR news stories every day with what you are doing, no matter how significant. Create other search engines that use your results and have different layouts and test them. Create a logo and a blank page search engine like Google. Create a search engine where regular people can some how make money. Create a search engine that is customizable (css / drag drop) without logging in. Create a search engine that is completely anonymous, and allows anonymous browsing! Test all different kinds of search results. Make 3D search possible. Become a leader. Become bold. Instead of writing about Bing every now and then, I need to be blown back in my seat on a daily basis and focused on writing about Bing DAILY. Do something new and great every day Bing. No rest. Every day. That’s the challenge issued.

p.s. I tried the Google vs. Bing results tester but I cannot be objective since I instantly know which results are which.

So I navigate to rackspace.com and start looking for a solution that will offer only a few things.

1. The ability to host on a Rackspace server (so from outside appearances it looks like I know what I’m doing)
2. A dedicated IP address
3. The ability to scale my operation if needed
4. Red Hat Linux
5. Cpannel / WHM

So after clicking around desperately to find what I need on their hundred million dollar ultra facnypants melting-pot-full of every ethnicity faced weirdo that could possibly exist on a website, I realize they just aren’t going to disclose what it is they are actually offering.  So I do what they probably wanted me and everyone else to do in the first place:  Call.

CALL?… WHO?… US?…RACKSPACE!?!?  I’m so sorry.  No customer can call almighty Rackspace, Lord of the server world without prior approval!  – is what I imagine they tell each one of their wide-eyed noobie sales reps on their first day of training. Silly me. Why would I think such a thing?

BECAUSE THEY DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE

After calling, I must have waited on the phone for at least 10-20 full minutes before anyone answered.  Does Rackspace have any clue how long that is in internet time? They probably wasted about 59 hours of internet time.  My internet time.  So while I was sitting on hold (waiting to patiently to discuss how when they would be receiving my money) I had a vision.  It was not really a vision, mind you, but a connection.  I truly believe that while I was lost in  bewilderment after being on hold for so long, I was actually able to leave my body and travel through the phone line to the other end.  My one dear loyal reader…let me show you what I saw:

The story will continue…

“Consumers could also benefit, the company said. When someone is searching for the word “jaguar,” Google would have a better idea of whether the person was interested in the animal or the car”

That is complete nonsense.  This is about control which will be explained in a followup post.

You can read more about this ‘new’ change here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/google-tracks-consumers-across-products-users-cant-opt-out/2012/01/24/gIQArgJHOQ_story.html

Here is how it will happen:

Basically, after its all said and done Google will be to Wal-Mart as Amazon will be to K-Mart.  Yup.  Jeff did an outstanding job with Amazon but in some games even that doesn’t matter.  The problem with Amazon in this game is they are just one dimensional where as Google will exist (and dominate) in five dimensions.  When you compete with the likes of Amazon you can’t really beat them on anything except the things that “appear” to be unchangeable.  In a nutshell Google will be able to offer merchants ( and themselves) significantly reduced credit card fees/ shipping fees / shipping time / advertising (search) fees / and other operation related fees. From a consumer standpoint they will own 80% of the hardware market ie. new cell phones by Motorola that dock and replace laptops and computers.   This will come at a time when Merchants will be desperate for a solution after being uplifted then battered by Google.  So the final analysis will be:  Extremely Low Cost Merchant Solutions + New Customer Benefits + Heavy Organic Search Petting + Moving Competition to the Back Row +  New Consumer Hardware Device Domination= Amazon (and all etailers) being reduced to gnats on the ass of an elephant.

Would that be a good or a bad thing?

Tip: These results do not include the word “something”. Show results that include “something”.

WOW.  Remember this is the FIRST word I typed and for Google not to include it on its own, is astonishing to me.   What does this mean?  Less unique queries, more traffic to mainstream queries which means less long tail keyword searches, and more revenue for Google.

Google no longer shares keyword referral data from Google users that are logged in. This only applies to organic traffic as the advertisers using Adwords will continue to receive data. Of course this is old news but I just wanted to mention a few things regarding this since a lot of what I’ve been reading  seems to lack a few elements.  You can look at this masterful move by Google in 2 ways.  First is why they did this and second is why they are doing it in this manner at this point in time.   I’ll tell you right now the first is reason is more money but lets start with the second reason.

Expectations

What Google is really doing here is setting expectations at a very opportune time in order manage backlash and future backlash.  They are also gathering data on how this goes in terms of execution and results. It is claimed that only 10% of users will be affected from this change.  First of all I find that number is highly unlikely.  If you are logged into Google for any of their vast amount of services like Gmail for instance then you are a part of the claimed 10% that is logged in.  So you must ask yourself this question: Is only 10% of all people searching on Google using services like Gmail? Extremely Doubtful.  Ok so lets just assume for a second the 10% number is real. No big deal right? If that is the case then why do it? Google will tell you its because of protecting privacy of their logged in users.  Well actually that’s not even a half truth. They only protect the ‘privacy’ of  a user’s keywords sent to the sites they visit, but for the Google advertiser they send out the data as they did before.  Of course Google keeps and uses that information for themselves as well.  Should that fact be ignored? This creates lots of room for spin, which is exactly what they have done.  Here is my view of the spin machine as it stands now:

Affected Party = Mood ==> Google Spin

General Webmaster = Very Upset ==>  “Only 10% of users!  =) ”
General User = Huh? ==> “We’re protecting your privacy!  =) ”
Advertising Networks  = Very Upset ==>  “Only 10% of users! =) ”
Congressional Hearings = Hmm… ==> “We’re protecting user’s privacy!  =) ”
Google Advertiser = Hmm… ==> “Stick with Google! Business as usual! =) ”

So back to expectations.  This is just a taste of whats to come.  They will more than likely kill off all keyword referral data whether a user is logged in or not (at some point in the future). Mission one accomplished: Expectations Set and Data Gathered on Execution.

Get ready…

Ok so now its very apparent they will stop sending all referral data at some point (not including Adwords advertisers). I believe this move was planned very far in advance.  They released the official news of this ‘expectation setting event’ at a very opportune time with the recent congressional hearings and also some algo updates.  I’m not going to go into that here but it is not just a coincidence.  The main point is when the full effect of stopping all referral data is official, it will not be a complete shocker.  Depending on how this little exercise went will depend on how fast and how exactly Google will put a stop to it completely. When it does happen you will see the spin machine all geared up to make privacy the major concern here for the users and I’m sure Google will throw out something big for all the webmasters  to get their feet wet (or go all in) with Adwords.

Show me the money.

Even when the referral data stops completely it won’t be obvious even then how big of a deal this will actually be.  Basically, over time many businesses will be forced to spend money with Adwords.

• All search marketing activity will have to be funneled through Adwords in order to track whats working.  
• Doing SEO and being able to tell whats working and what isn’t will become super difficult.  Implementing SEO and proving how well its working will be officially dead.
• At some point Google will release algo updates that ‘shepherd’ in new advertisers at will.
• With almost all ‘businesses’ using Adwords to some degree, new compartmentalized level privileges will be introduced inspiring advertisers to spend more money from that point on.
• Google’s list of ‘undesirable’ businesses will get much shorter. Say goodbye to all firms affiliated with:  SEO, Re-targeting, metrics, tracking, monitoring etc. 

More advertisers, and advertising for Google = More Money.  And that’s just the beginning…