Big Changes for Bing Image Search
A few days ago, Microsoft’s Bing search engine rolled out a total overhaul to its image search feature that will certainly appeal to fans of Pinterest. The most apparent change comes in the appearance of the search results themselves, which are now presented in a tiled layout similar to the aforementioned social media site, with a minimal amount of white space.
A quick search on Bing reveals the new changes. If you frequently use multiple search engines, you may have noticed that Yahoo quietly rolled out similar visual changes to its image search.
Bing sums up the changes as such: “When you check out the new image search, the first thing you’ll notice is the pictures themselves. Our goal with the new design was to make the images shine. We show bigger thumbnails and lay them out seamlessly so you can take them all in at once.”
New Features for Bing Image Search
The new Bing image search contains a lot more than just bigger thumbnails, which obviously make it easier to quickly find the exact photo you’re seeking. Another important new features is the magnifying glass, which allows you to preview the image’s title, size and source without even clicking on it.
There’s also the filter bar, which allows you to customize your search according to image type, layout, color and size. You can even base your query on whether the image contains faces.
Search suggestions is another new feature. Bing cites the example of searching for “Chicago” and being presented with high quality, relevant suggestions like “Chicago Bears,” “Chicago Skyline,” and “Chicago the musical.” The right side of the page also includes related topics, allowing you to browse for other images that Bing thinks you might find interesting based on your original search.
Finally, in a move that SEOs will certainly appreciate, Bing’s search results pages will now include a sidebar of trending image searches, allowing you to keep track of the most popular trends.
Another bit of SEO-related news from Bing’s announcement is that image search makes up 7% of searches on Bing overall.
