Desperate for Bing users, Microsoft creates a sneaky search interface that looks like Google

Microsoft deserves credit for not abandoning search, but it doesn’t appear that Bing ever achieved the success it hoped for. Google remains the world’s largest search engine by far, despite perceptions that its quality has declined in recent years. Bing, meanwhile, remains the butt of jokes, with most of its traffic likely coming from users who haven’t changed their Windows computer’s default settings.

Since losing in the mobile wars, Microsoft has had to implore Windows users to stick with its services: Edge browser is installed by default, and when users try to install Chrome or switch to Google , pop-ups beg them to please, please give Edge and Bing a chance (the company has also integrated ads into Windows at the system level, much to the chagrin of users). Microsoft is now trying a new, more discreet strategy to keep users on Bing: When someone types “Google” into the Edge search bar, they’re confronted with a reskinned version of Bing that looks almost exactly like Google. Visit Bing and try it for yourself.

This type of strategy is sometimes called a “dark pattern” or a deceptive pattern that tricks users into doing something they didn’t intend. Below the Google-looking search bar, featuring a Google Doodle-like cartoon, the usual Bing results are displayed.

Although it is also managed, Bing is expected to generate tens of billions in annual revenue for Microsoft. In its latest earnings report, the company says search and information advertising revenue increased 18% year-over-year. The company doesn’t disclose specific revenue figures for Bing, however, and the cost per click it charges on search ads remains lower than Google’s.

Data from StatsCounter suggests that the Microsoft search engine has around 3% of the global market, compared to 90% for Google. On the desktop browser front, Google Chrome has around 70% market share, according to recent estimates. Google’s dominance is likely even greater when considering mobile, where annual device sales far outstrip desktop. Google’s Android dominates globally in smartphones, and on Apple’s iOS, the company pays tens of billions a year to be the default search engine, a deal the federal government wants to overturn for anticompetitive reasons. The whole point of the Android, Chrome, and iOS search deal is for Google to maintain its dominance through defaults.

Still, this move by Microsoft suggests that people just don’t like Bing very much, if the company finds that many people are typing “Google” into its search engine. This somewhat supports Google’s argument that it’s not an unfair monopoly because people simply like Google more. However, it certainly doesn’t help Microsoft that Bing isn’t being introduced to consumers more often. People like what is familiar to them and what they are used to using. Perhaps weakening Google’s grip could give Bing a greater chance of reaching new users. This should remind us why tech companies care so much about controlling new platforms. There’s also a self-reinforcing effect to consider: the fact that Google is so ubiquitous gives it a lot more data to improve its results.

Generative AI and its threat to traditional search remains an open question, but even then Google’s size and data advantage should give it an edge. Microsoft tried integrating ChatGPT into Bing starting in 2023, but it doesn’t seem to have made much difference. Its latest bet appears to be that PCs with AI capabilities will fuel new demand for desktop computers running Windows.

Microsoft has used other strategies to try to drive Bing adoption. Last November, it launched a contest with a top prize of $1 million in cash just for using Bing.