Microsoft’s New Bing Design Trick: Mimicking Google for Search Results

Microsoft is launching another strategy to boost its Bing search engine usage. Currently, if you search for Google on Bing without signing into a Microsoft account, the results page closely resembles Google’s layout.

This tactic aims to mimic Google’s appearance specifically for this search term, while other queries display the standard Bing results. The Google search result features a search bar, an image that resembles a Google Doodle, and additional text beneath the search bar in a style similar to Google’s. Moreover, Microsoft subtly scrolls down the page to hide its own Bing search bar at the top of the results.

Although Bing still displays Google search results beneath this altered Google interface, many users will encounter this setup when configuring new PCs and searching for Google in the address bar of Microsoft Edge. As highlighted by 9to5Google points out, this is a clever tactic by Microsoft to retain users on Bing rather than letting them switch to Google.

Microsoft is known for employing such strategies. Over the years, we have been documenting various tactics Microsoft has used to encourage users to prefer Bing or Edge over Google and Chrome. These tactics include modifying Chrome download pages, injecting pop-up ads into Google Chrome on Windows, adding polls on Chrome download pages, and even deploying malware-like popups to persuade users to abandon Google.

In contrast, Google also utilizes notifications on its sites to prompt users to download Chrome instead of Microsoft Edge, but these notifications are significantly less intrusive than Microsoft’s use of system-level popups and website alterations.