You probably use it every day without realizing it. Or maybe you only see it when you accidentally open Edge instead of Chrome. Most people think of it as "that other one." But if you're asking bing what is it, you're likely noticing that the search landscape has shifted dramatically since 2023. It isn’t just a list of blue links anymore. Honestly, it’s basically an AI assistant wrapped in a search bar, and it’s been eating away at Google’s lunch money for a while now.
Microsoft launched Bing in 2009. Back then, it was a desperate attempt to rebrand "Live Search" and "MSN Search." For a decade, it was the butt of every Silicon Valley joke. "Bing" became a verb for "searching for Google." But then Satya Nadella made a multi-billion dollar bet on OpenAI, and everything changed. Suddenly, the underdog had teeth.
The Identity Crisis: Is It a Search Engine or an AI?
When you look at bing what is it from a technical perspective, it’s a web crawler. It sends out "bots" to index the internet, just like Google does. But the user experience is totally different now. Since the integration of GPT-4, Bing has morphed into "Microsoft Copilot."
Imagine you’re trying to plan a 3-day trip to Tokyo. In the old days, you’d search "Tokyo itinerary" and click ten different blogs. Now, you just ask. Bing scans those ten blogs for you, synthesizes the information, and gives you a formatted schedule with citations. It’s a research tool. It’s weirdly helpful, though it can sometimes get a bit "hallucinatory" if you push it too hard on obscure facts.
Most people don't realize that Bing actually powers a huge chunk of the internet's infrastructure. If you ask Alexa a question, she's often pulling that data from Bing's API. DuckDuckGo? A massive portion of their search results are actually sourced from Bing's index. It’s the silent engine behind a lot of "privacy-focused" alternatives.
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Why the "Bing is Bad" Meme is Dying
People stayed away because the results used to be... well, messy. They felt cluttered. But Microsoft leaned into the clutter. They added high-resolution daily background images—which are genuinely stunning—and a rewards program that literally pays you to search. You get points. You trade points for Starbucks gift cards or Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. It sounds like a gimmick, but it works.
If you’re a developer or a data scientist, Bing’s "Deep Search" feature is actually pretty impressive. It uses LLMs to understand the intent behind a query rather than just matching keywords. If you search for something vague like "how to fix that clicking sound in my car," Google might give you generic forums. Bing tries to figure out if you're talking about a starter motor or a CV joint based on your previous browsing context. It’s aggressive. Some might say invasive. But it’s undeniably smart.
Under the Hood: The Index and the Algorithm
The core technology is called the Bing Crawler, or "Bingbot." It moves through the web via Sitemaps and links. But here is where it gets spicy: Bing is much more transparent about what it likes than Google is. While Google hides its algorithm behind layers of "Helpful Content Updates" and mystery, Microsoft publishes the Bing Webmaster Guidelines.
They value "User Engagement." Not just clicks, but "pogo-sticking"—when you click a result and immediately hit the back button. If you do that, Bing demotes the site instantly. They also care deeply about social signals. While Google denies that a viral tweet helps your SEO, Bing’s patent filings and public statements suggest they definitely look at social authority as a proxy for trust.
The Copilot Factor
You can't talk about bing what is it without mentioning the sidebar. In the Edge browser, Bing lives in a constant sidebar called Copilot. It can read the PDF you're currently looking at. It can summarize a 50-page legal document in four bullet points. This isn't just "search" anymore. It's a productivity layer.
There’s a downside, though. The "AI-first" approach means that sometimes the actual search results are buried under a mountain of generated text. If you just want to find a login page for your bank, having an AI explain the history of banking to you is annoying. Microsoft is still tweaking that balance.
Real-World Performance: Bing vs. Google
Let's get real for a second. Is it better?
For image search, honestly, yes. Bing’s Image Search has had a superior interface for years. It allows for better filtering by color, layout, and license type. It also integrates DALL-E 3, so if you can't find an image, you can just tell Bing to "create an image of a cat wearing a space suit in the style of Van Gogh." It’ll do it in about twenty seconds.
For local search—like "pizza near me"—it’s still a toss-up. Google Maps is a beast that is hard to kill. Bing uses Yelp data for reviews, which can be polarizing. If you hate Yelp, you’ll probably find Bing’s local business info frustrating.
- Information Retrieval: Bing is excellent for technical documentation and "how-to" guides.
- Multimedia: Its video search doesn't just prioritize YouTube; it gives you a nice grid of previews from across the web.
- Shopping: It has a built-in price tracker and coupon finder that is actually less intrusive than the third-party extensions most people install.
Privacy and the Data Question
Microsoft is a big tech company. They want your data. There’s no way around that. However, Bing offers a "Strict" tracking prevention mode in Edge that plays nicely with the search engine. They are trying to position themselves as the "functional" choice for people who are tired of Google’s minimalist but ad-heavy interface.
Wait, did I mention the ads? Bing has them. A lot of them. Sometimes the first four results are ads. It’s the price of "free" gift cards, I guess.
What Most People Get Wrong About Bing
The biggest misconception is that Bing is only for older people who don't know how to change their default browser. That’s old thinking. With the rise of "generative search," the demographic is shifting. Students love it because it cites sources. Researchers use it because the "Notebook" mode allows for long-form prompting (up to 18,000 characters).
It’s also surprisingly good at coding. Because Microsoft owns GitHub, the integration between Bing’s AI and coding repositories is tight. If you ask for a Python script to scrape a website, Bing’s output is often cleaner than what you’ll get from a standard Google search for a Stack Overflow thread.
How to Make the Most of Bing Today
If you’re going to use it, don't use it like Google. Don't just type two words. Talk to it. Use full sentences.
- Ask for Comparisons: "Compare the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra in a table focusing on battery life and mic quality."
- Use Visual Search: Drag an image of a cool pair of shoes into the search bar. Bing is frighteningly good at finding where to buy them.
- Check the Rewards: If you’re searching anyway, you might as well get the points. Just don't let it become an obsession.
The Future of Search
We are moving toward a "zero-click" internet. This is controversial. If Bing answers your question on the search page, you don't click on the creator’s website. The creator doesn't get ad revenue. The creator stops creating. It’s a cycle that Microsoft is trying to solve by including prominent links and "Read More" citations within the AI responses. Whether that’s enough to save the open web is a debate for another day.
Right now, Bing is a powerhouse for anyone who needs to synthesize large amounts of information quickly. It’s a research assistant that happens to have a search engine attached to it.
Actionable Next Steps to Master Bing
- Switch to "Creative Mode": When using the chat feature, toggle the settings to "More Creative." It uses a more advanced version of the model that is better at brainstorming and complex problem-solving.
- Install the Mobile App: The voice-to-text on the Bing mobile app is remarkably accurate and allows for hands-free research while you're driving or cooking.
- Use the "Notebook" Feature: If you have a massive prompt—like "Analyze these three restaurant menus and tell me which one is best for a keto diet"—use the Notebook tab. It doesn't have the "chat" back-and-forth, so it focuses all its processing power on one giant task.
- Audit Your Business: If you’re a business owner, go to Bing Places for Business. Since so many people use voice search (Alexa/Cortana), making sure your data is correct there is just as important as your Google Business Profile.
- Verify the Citations: Always click the little superscript numbers. AI can lie. It's rare, but it happens. Make sure the website it’s quoting actually says what Bing claims it says.