Googling/Binging/Yahooing/Mamaing

Google is the great search engine of our time; the word has seamlessly entered our vocabulary and the site is so important in our daily lives that it's hard to remember that it's just a private company based in California.  In an entirely anecdotal study I will compare Google with three rivals: Bing, Yahoo and Mama.  My search term for all of the search engines was "2011 stirling prize" (referring to the RIBA Stirling Prize 2011, the shortlist can be found here).  Since it's a prize organised by the RIBA, I was anticipating that my search would bring up a link to their website because that is the official website of the Stirling Prize.

1.  Google

I like the way that on Google there are quick links to refine search results for content within specific time frames and to switch to different searches for different types of content (image, map etc.)  The RIBA website comes top of the list.

2. Bing

Bizarrely Bing doesn't bring up the RIBA as the top result.  The official site actually isn't on the first, second or third page of results (after that I got bored and googled instead).  Coupled with not meeting my expectation it also has a silly name.  Again, you can refine results by date and even turn on search history without having to do an advanced search.

3. Yahoo

Yahoo doesn't have the same quality interface of the first two engines.  This one has a sponsored link (well, they need to make money somehow, I suppose) and presumably the links on the left have sponsored the site too.  Vimeo, The Guardian and Telegraph are a slightly random collection of sites to refine the results by, and once again the RIBA site is not at the top of the list.  Just like Bing, it really struggles to find the RIBA site.

4. Mama
I used to use Mama when I was at school, because the concept of the name, the tag line, the picture all appealed to my 15 year old persona.  Here's what Mama looks like:

Oh dear.  Mama is the most blatantly commercial of my straw poll.  The top links are all sponsored sites and there are no quick refinement options on screen.  The search suggestions are poor, containing either 2011 or prize 'has Obama earned Nobel prize' and 'wheel of fortune 2011' among them...

I told you this wouldn't be very scientific.

I should go a little more in depth.  Let's look at advanced search options, which for in proper internet research is essential.  Mama scores nil point: there is no advanced search option.  I think Mama's had her day.  Bing has options to add search terms, search specific domains, web pages from particular countries and particular languages.  I don't like the look of the advanced search box, though, which allows you to make individual changes to your search one at a time, rather than filling out one large web form as on Yahoo and Google.  All of these search engines essentially have the same advanced search options though.  You can helpfully remove results that contain unwanted words and add exact phrases that you require.  Searching "Simpson family" but excluding Homer and Bart brings up interesting genealogical results.

My conclusion has to be that any of these large, reputable search engines do much the same thing.  I think Google has rightfully earned the reputation it has, though.  I am instinctively drawn to it, because it has a user friendly interface and tends to bring up the better option first time.  Performing an advanced search on Bing is less intuitive than Google, and Yahoo tends to have too many sponsored links (though google isn't perfect either).  Yahoo is also too purple.  Google also has no rival when it comes to the Google Doodle, which like Wikipedia's featured article, is a daily internet delight.