Bing, the ‘decision engine’, is designed to create an easier experience for searchers by providing you with more detailed and precise search results. A one word search, such as "truck", yields basically three results each for: what "it" is, who produces "it", variations of "it", prices for "it", reviews for "it", images of "it", videos of "it", and locations to find "it".

 

What does this simplification mean for link builders? The end of eccomerce and first page listings for small businesses? I wouldn’t go that far, but in time I imagine we will be seeing less and less small businesses in the top listings, and more of an emphasis on large brands dominating search results. All of this is assuming that Microsoft’s $100 million advertising plan works, and we all start using Bing more than Google. Without that, Bing is simply just another Live – unpopular and unused.

 

So what is a small or large site to do in preparation, besides looking at the usual webmaster tools? Well for starters, take a look at your meta titles, keywords, and descriptions. Are you trying to ‘crowd’ your homepage with too many keywords? It may be time to revamp your site and reorganize the keywords associated with each of your landing pages. If you are trying to target too many keywords to one page, then presumably search engines with detailed search, like Bing, will have a harder time determining what your page is really about.

 

This concept is nothing new, but one has to draw the conclusion that when search engines get more detailed about results it means they’re looking for even more details than before. With the previous example search term "truck" the site owner could possibly include a page that hits each and every one of the categorical results that show up for the term "truck". Dedicate a page to answering: what "it" is, who produces "it", variations of "it", prices for "it", reviews for "it", images of "it", videos of "it", and locations to find "it".

 

Bing still has a ways to go to compete with Google’s market share, but with events like Hulu’s Bing-a-thon and creative commercials it may be sooner than we all thought!

 

You might be asking yourself how on earth these question and answer sites could help in SEO or link building efforts. Q&A sites allow you to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Most sites require you to sign up, make a profile, and earn points to advance in expertise levels. Answering questions provides you with more points than asking questions, and signing in daily can also add to your points. As you become an expert your answers are more likely to be chosen as the top answers, and your status elevates accordingly. In your answers, you are also able to add no-follow links back to the resources you used to gain your knowledge. Placing your web address, or a client’s web address, in this allotted space has the potential of being seen by many viewers if your answer is chosen as the best.

 

The key with Q&A sites is to look at them as resources for potential clients searching for answers. Do you work in the automotive industry? Think about the questions your potential client might ask such as, “What is a hella light?”, “How do I find the best deal on purchasing a car?”, or “My car makes a funny noise, what should I do?”. These are all opportunities for you, as an expert, to help guide them to your website. It is a slow and steady race, but the more varied you are in your approaches the better overall result.

 

Try to stick to niche Q&A sites if you want the biggest impact for your effort. Also important, however, is the page rank of each site. You want to be seen not only by each Q&A site’s users, but by search engine users as well. If a future client types into a search engine the same question you answered on a high ranking site, then the likelihood of your answer populating on the first few pages of Google is greater. All this from a free site you might log onto for ten minutes every few days to help promote yourself or a client’s website.

What Should I Say Page rank 2/10, Get the answers to questions about what you should say or do in sticky situations. This site is mostly geared to business and personal relationships.

Got Questions: Page Rank 5/10, ‘Seeking to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by providing Biblical, applicable and timely answers to spiritually related questions through an internet presence’.

Trulia age Rank 5/10, Get answers to all your Real Estate questions.

 

Answerbag: Page Rank 6/10. Standard ask and answer site, topics ranging from celebrity trivia to Russian name origins.

Askville: Page Rank 6/10. Askville is Amazons version of a Q&A site, this site is all about sharing.

Answers: Page Rank 7/10. ‘Your free “one-stop shop” with instant information on over 4 million topics’. When most people think about asking or answering questions, they think of this site.

Yahoo Answers: Page Rank 8/10. ‘With more than 21 million unique users in the U.S. and 90 million worldwide, Yahoo! Answers is the largest knowledge-sharing community on the Web’. Yahoo is often seen as the pioneer for Q&A sites.