Microsoft tries more pushy Bing, Edge ads but still struggles to compete with Google

Microsoft is in a rush to get back the money it spent on its AI investments for Bing. But first, it has to make the search engine more alluring for everyone, which explains its frequent updates and feature releases. And to ensure the world will see these efforts, the company has decided to be pushy in promoting Bing, giving us another wave of infuriating ads this week in awkward places. Are they effective, though? The latest data say no.

If you’re using Edge, Microsoft wants you to stay there and forget Google Search completely. As such, it is no surprise that the software giant is bringing ads in different sections of Edge to encourage you to embrace it and Bing. Yet, this tactic also extends to Microsoft’s own Windows software.

Got this latest Search bar on desktop with Edge update. Windows 10.
byu/ShubhamDeshmukh inWindows10

Recently, Windows 10 users reported seeing a Bing search bar sitting comfortably in the middle of their desktops, and our Team saw it, too. It seems Microsoft wants to promote the idea of saving you a few clicks when searching for something on the web, and that seems logical in this move. However, waking up and realizing a huge unsolicited Bing is now placed on your desktop isn’t something anyone would want.

Now when you open Bard on Edge, it shows a button to compare the answers with Bing!
byu/vitorgrs inbing

Weeks ago, the company also tried to use the split screen feature of Edge to the advantage of Bing. In the screenshots shared by the first users to spot it, using Bard on Edge will give you a special button that you can use to compare Bard’s generated answers to Bing Chat’s side-by-side on your screen. And now, here is another one: Microsoft will either suggest Bing or ask you to import your data from Chrome to Edge. According to user reports, this new ad suggestion appears when you type for Google Search platform in the address bar. And while this is not shocking news (given Microsoft’s pushy behavior when it comes to its products and services), the move still garnered criticism.

You can now buy things with Bing Chat, the new widgets built into chat are insane
byu/ComputerKYT inbing

Despite that, however, Microsoft is determined to make the best out of the new Bing. That said, aside from trying its best to lure people from adopting Bing, the Ai-powered bot is also reportedly now showing dedicated buttons allowing you to buy products directly from its generated answers. However, this is not a secret since Microsoft has always been vocal about monetizing Bing via ads.

The company first showed intention to do it in February alongside announcing a Bing Search API price hike. Days after that and in March, different reports started surfacing showing what Bing Chat responses would look like with ads. Now, Microsoft seems to have greatly improved its Bing ad-related plans by introducing the new button, accompanied by other product details. In the screenshot shown, instead of simply suggesting a list of products for specific searches, Bing will also now offer the product’s price history from a certain shop, shipping detail, some product information, and a huge item image.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, the said button and other recently rolled-out features would probably just bring it little success. According to recent data from Stat Counter, Bing is still nowhere near Google’s current search engine worldwide market share. The same thing applies to Edge’s browser global market share, which was recently outpaced by Safari in the desktop category. With all these things and Google’s recent AI advances, Microsoft must work harder to ensure the success of its multi-billion dollar AI investments. And by that, we don’t mean more intrusive ads that only repel people away from Edge and Bing.