Searching for “maps” on Bing takes you to Google Maps
Microsoft and Google compete with each other in a wide variety of businesses, including mapping solutions, so it may come as a big surprise that the Redmond-based software giant is actually redirecting its users to Google Maps.
Precisely, Bing users who turn to Microsoft's search engine to search for mapping services find Google's service in position #1 on the search results page, while its own is lower on the same page.
But that's not all. Not only does Google Maps take the top spot in Bing's search results for "maps," but the search engine also provides a brief description of the service, outlining its main features for those interested in learning more.
Clearly, this isn't what a Microsoft might expect to see when they log into Bing, and the only way to see the software giant's mapping service in the top spot is to search for "Bing Maps." Which is kind of strange, because that's not the case on Google, where a quick search for "maps" still shows Google Maps as the top result.
Bing is now the second most used search engine
Microsoft is the only company that competes with Google in the search engine market, which makes it a bit strange to promote its competitor.
This essentially means that 20 percent of the world's users who rely on Bing to find information online are redirected to Google when searching for maps, so Microsoft may want to change this at some point in the future.
The truth is, there's still a quick way to get to Bing's mapping service from the Bing homepage, as anyone can find the service by typing its full name into the search box, but there's no doubt that a small percentage of users will actually choose Google Maps over Microsoft's mapping service.
