Microsoft Bing is rolling out five upgrades to search that combines text-based information with visually rich imagery.
Microsoft Bing is launching five updates to search that aim to evolve SERPs beyond a list of links to provide users with a richer experience.
Microsoft Bing Rolls Out 5 Upgrades to Search Results
Bing’s latest updates have one thing in common – they all combine visually rich imagery with text-based information in a single view. The experience is described as more intuitive and engaging.
The new format is said to deliver information quickly and in a way that allows searchers to find what they need without scanning large blocks of text.
Bing’s upgraded search features include:
- Intuitive highlighting of content
- Integrated visual search
- Expandable carousels
- Infographic-like SERPs
- Richer results for local queries
Here’s more details about each of the updates announced today.
Intuitive Highlighting
Bing is upgrading SERPs so they adapt to intuitively highlight content the searcher is engaging with.
A provided example demonstrates how this feature works with search results for recipes. You can see how Bing presents the initial results in a unique card-based format.
When a user clicks on one of the results, Bing extracts the information related to the recipe and displays it inline without leaving the search results page.
The expanded view contains information such as:
- Ingredient list (with possible substitutions)
- Calories per serving
- User reviews
- A drop-down menu to scale the recipe to a specific number of servings
- Nutritional information
To get the step-by-step cooking instructions searchers will still have to visit the actual web page.
Recipes are just one example. This feature may also be applied to other types of searches such as home improvement and creative projects.
Integrated Visual Search
While browsing through the card-based results, as shown above, users will have the option to instantly conduct a visual search to find similar-looking items.
Bing has integrated the visual search button into these results, which allows users to conduct an image-based query with just a click.
“While exploring these visual results, you might see something you like but is difficult to describe with words. That’s why we’ve also integrated visual search into the experience, so you can quickly search using an image.
For example, in the “DIY coffee table” result, you may see wicker baskets that fit the table’s look and feel. With just a click, you’ll get image results of similar-looking items, and can directly click off to retailer sites to purchase a particular basket if you’re sold on it.”
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