Blind testing search engines
Which search engine gives the best results? Sure, Google’s by far the most popular and has the largest infrastructure. And there could be interface preferences to take into account. But just in terms of sheer relevance of results, which is best?
Now you can test this yourself, using Michael Kordahi’s blind search web application. It strips the formating out of the results for a search and show you results from Google, Yahoo, and Bing in random order. Above are the results for a search for “right reading” (without the quotes). Out of vanity and self-interest, I don’t much care for the results on the left, which presume I’m most interested in finding a book guaranteeing reading improvement for my child. The other two show my website in the first slot, but I prefer the middle results, which also show this blog (as opposed to the html home page) in the two spot rather than the four slot as on the right.
Results were running about 45% google, 30% bing and 25% yahoo, but someone was gaming the system and Kordahi has removed the totals for the moment. But you can still do your own tests.
Okay, let’s unveil the contestants.
I pronounce Google the winner on a search for “right reading,” followed by Bing; Yahoo brings up the rear, from my partisan point of view, on this one. Which is best for you?
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Posted: June 9th, 2009 under webwork.
Comments: 3
Comments
Comment from Montana
Time: June 9, 2009, 10:40 pm
Ya, bing really seems to be a lot better when compared to the old live.com. I tend to root for the underdog, even when the underdog is… Microsoft. Competition can only bring good things 
Comment from Jennifer
Time: June 10, 2009, 5:36 am
Google always was the best search engine. I use it a few years and before him I used yahoo. I did not know that yahoo become so weak search engine.
Comment from jameshigham
Time: June 12, 2009, 1:34 am
Google helps because it interfaces with so much.
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