Affiliate Marketing With Bing: Part II

Earlier this year, Ace Affiliates published a notice advising affiliate marketing managers and their ilk to pay attention to Bing, Microsoft's new and successfully branded search engine.

Branded because those commercials were amusing, and because, frankly, affiliate marketing managers and their ilk are buying PPC advertising like crazy on Bing (shhh: lower prices than Google, plus occasional freebies).

However, the time has now come to take a second look at Bing as it relates to making money in affiliate marketing by driving traffic through the search engines.

Face Facts: Bing Kinda Sucks

Nothing against Microsoft, but Bing kinda sucks in comparison to Google. Once the novelty of something different wears out, experienced searchers quickly tire of the "decision engine" context, at least as it's been defined in this case (i.e., as a commercial enterprise).

Let's take the search term "affiliate marketing taxes," a topic meant for those among us who want to make money, meet tax obligations, and generally know what's going on with the finance side of things. Google greets that search term with befitting seriousness.

Bing, by contrast, smacks you in the face with are more ads than search results.

Experienced searchers are not eager for that experience. By dispensing search results more on the basis of directing searchers towards a "decision" (BUY NOW), Bing may actually be hurting the conversion rates of their PPC advertisers.

More likely, Bing hurts Bing by being too "sales-y."

From the perspective of the searcher, anyway, Google's results still reign supreme.

What Does Encarta Have to Do With Affiliate Marketing?

Remember Encarta, from Microsoft?

Encarta was one of the early popular encyclopedia programs for the PC. It wasn't the greatest thing in the world but it worked.

Encarta shows what Microsoft can do through media partnerships. Throughout the company's history, Microsoft has been underrated as an acquirer of digital content, and yet they have not done half of what they could do, if they opened their pocketbook and started buying.

Microsoft's "killer app," as an Internet engine of any kind, has always been that Microsoft has content that isn't available elsewhere. Thus the appeal of the Yahoo acquisition/partnership.

Thus the appeal of buying part of Facebook at a high price, in October of 2007.

Bing Is a Drop in the Bucket

So, this is what we know so far: Bing is not nearly as good as Google at dispensing quality search results, but Microsoft has fascinating opportunities in the area of content acquisition.

The third piece to add to this puzzle is to understand that Bing is a drop in the bucket for Microsoft. The Facebook investment was more important, and that was only $240 million. Think of the hundreds of billions that have flown around and realize that's not a major commitment.

Yes, Microsoft wants Bing to get popular and make money, but nothing too drastic is riding on the outcome, especially if the healthcare technology market heats up considerably.

Which it likely will in the very near future, one way or another.