Microsoft is getting ready for battle with Google with Bing.com.  Internally Bing has been talked about as Kumo.com.  Over the next few months, Microsoft is going to spend $100 million dollars on promoting Bing.com.  But what is Microsoft bringing to the table with Bing.com?  Microsoft has certainly done their homework over the last several years.  They seem to think they have a great product now, let’s see how well it does against Google.com!

Google’s big mistake was declaring search almost solved at 90% to 95%.  Search is so far from being solved it’s not even funny.  Microsoft did its own research and found that 42% of all searches need to be refined.  25% of all searches result in the user hitting the “back” button.  I wrote an article called “Who Wants To Beat Google?” a few months ago, and it sounds like Bing is going to have many of these features which is great, but there is still something I’m hoping Microsoft is not forgetting.  The Developers and Webmasters!

Don’t forget the Developer Tools

One of the things that has always set Microsoft apart from other software companies is their developer tools.  By creating awesome tools for developers to use to build on the Microsoft platform, Microsoft has created an army of developers that depend on Microsoft products being installed on computers.  They in turn promote Microsoft to companies, friends, and family.  Google has done the same thing with search.  They provide a ridiculous amounts of tools for SEO experts to develop new tactics, monitor results, create advertising campaigns, check the health of their web sites, and so much more.

Let’s take a look at what Google offers web developers and webmasters:

1. Google Webmaster Tools
2. Google Webmaster Central Channel on YouTube
3. Google Adsense
4. Google Analytics
5. Google Adwords
6. Google Trends
7. Google Experimental Labs
8. Google Labs

These aren’t all the tools by any means, but you get the point. The great thing about all these tools is that you can sign up and be up and running with these tools extremely fast! Google has invested a large amount of money in building up all these tools, and have created an entire ecosystem surrounding their search engine.  It’s not just about a search engine!  Just like it’s not just about having the best operating system, Microsoft needs to remember that it’s not just about having the best search engine. It’s about having the best development tools, the best developers, and the best partnerships.

It was awesome to watch Netscape and Microsoft do battle back in the 90’s.  I’m looking forward to this battle, as it’s only going to benefit the consumers and help advance search even faster!

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