What if there was a better alternative to Google?
Bing is actually a powerful and versatile search engine that can help you find just about anything. But in order to get the best of Bing, you need to know how to use it.
With our comprehensive guide, you'll be navigating Bing like a boss in no time at all!
We've put together an awesome guide for using Bing. Before we go any further, though, it's important to define exactly what Bing is.
Bing is a search engine created by Microsoft. It provides a viable alternative to Google while offering additional benefits, including a robust Microsoft Rewards program (more on this later).
Like any other search engine, though, Bing has a number of special features that can help you narrow things down and get the results you're looking for. Learning these tricks can save you a lot of time and improve your overall navigation experience.
Now that you know a bit more about what Bing is, let's explore the ways to get the most out of it.
Most of the time, we search for phrases by simply typing out the words. However, there is a built-in flaw in this plan!
Search engines will find you all results that have those words somewhere on the page. So while you may be searching for a specific phrase, you'll get thousands of results that do not have that phrase.
Instead, you can Bing search by putting the phrase in quotation marks. This tells the search engine to only bring you results with those exact words in that exact order.
Just be careful: the longer your phrase search, the fewer the results.
If you have an exact phrase to search for, that really narrows things down. But what if you don't know the exact phrasing?
You can actually use Bing to search by word proximity. For example, type out awesome near: 5 SEO tells the engine to only bring results where "awesome" and "SEO" are within 5 words of each other.
This is great because not every site will use the phrase "awesome SEO." But searching by proximity can find results where they wrote "awesome and impressive SEO" or "SEO that is truly awesome."
Just type out one word followed by "near" and a colon. Then, put the number in (this represents how close words should be) and the second word.
On a typical web search, you get results from just about everywhere. And this can be both a good and a bad thing.
For example, casting a wide net means you'll get more results. But it also means you'll get plenty of results that aren't relevant to your search.
One way to narrow things down is to narrow by domain name. If you search for something like SEO site:edu, you will only get results from domains ending in .edu (such as college and university websites). You can do the same to limit results to .gov, .org, and plenty more.
That's a great way to cut out the .com sites and get more objective information. Once you have a site picked, you can type out site and then the web address to search for terms only within that website. Example: site:https://www.seoclerk.com SEO.
Keep in mind this trick works particularly well for websites that don't have their own search engine (or that have really bad ones).
Need a particular type of file? This is pretty common when you're researching something and hoping to find a helpful PDF.
To get the results you are looking for, you can type filetype and then the file extension followed by the term you are looking for. Example: filetype:pdf SEO.
You can try this with other file types as well. Trust us: this will revolutionize how you conduct online research with Bing!
Another double-edged sword of online searching is that you get results from all over the world. That can actually be annoying when you are trying to narrow things down by location or even language.
Fortunately, you can do just that with Bing. If you type out loc and a colon followed by a destination (such as UK), you can then search for terms and only get results from that area. As an example, loc:UK SEO.
You can do the same thing with language, too, by simply replacing "loc" with "language." Narrowing things like this can help you find local services or simply plan your next vacation.
This next tip is pretty niche, but it's good to know. With Bing, it's possible to narrow down your search results by a particular IP address.
If you know an IP address, you can simply type out IP, colon, and then the address. At this point, Bing will find all of the results that share this particular IP address.
If you're setting up your own website, this can be a quick way to make sure everything looks in order online.
Still not sure if you should use Bing? We've got three magic words that may change your mind: "they've got prizes."
If you have (or sign up for) a Microsoft account, you can register for the Microsoft Rewards Program. This lets you earn cool prizes simply for using Bing!
After you sign up, you can earn points by searching Bing. You can also get points by completing polls and surveys and even using services like Xbox Live.
Once you have enough points built up, you can redeem them for things like gift cards to Amazon and a number of other places. And while the program won't make you rich, it's cool to get rewarded for what you were already planning to do: search the internet.
Now you know how to use Bing to find the best sites. But do you know who can help make your own sites even better?
We help people just like you find the writers, artists, and SEO specialists you need. To see how we can help you find top talent, check out our services today!