The Evolution of Bing: The Search Engine Turns Five

In honor of Bing turning five this week, let’s take a peek back in time and view the various changes the search engine’s home page has undergone over the years. If you’re not familiar with Archive.org, otherwise known as the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, it’s a great resource if you’d like to review the different stages of websites (and other digital media) over time. They provide other resources as well, as outlined in the following excerpt from their About Us page:

The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library. Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format.
https://archive.org/about/

(Please note that some background or supporting images may be missing from some of the screen captures below)

The basic layout of the Bing home page didn’t change much for three years until they released the wider, interactive layout in June of 2012. Speculation is that this new layout was supposed to launch on the third birthday but it didn’t happen until on or around the 16th of June, 2012.

Bing Launch: June 2009

Key Features:

  • Approximate dimensions: 956px x 580px
  • Simplified layout
  • Left navigation panel
Bing Search Page June 3, 2009
Bing Search Page June 3, 2009

Bing: June 2010

Key Features:

  • Approximate dimensions: 956px x 580px
  • Simplified layout
  • Left navigation panel
  • Orange square added for search submit
Bing Search Page June 3, 2010
Bing Search Page June 3, 2010

Bing: June 2011

Key Features:

  • Approximate dimensions: 956px x 580px
  • Simplified layout
  • Left navigation panel (Explore is removed)
  • Orange square still present for search submit
Bing Search Page June 3, 2011
Bing Search Page June 3, 2011

Bing: June 2012

Key Features:

  • Approximate dimensions: 956px x 580px
  • Simplified layout
  • Left navigation panel is removed
  • Menu items put above search bar
  • Orange square still present for search submit
  • Show All and Only from Canada search options added below search bar
Bing Search Page June 3, 2012 V.1
Bing Search Page June 3, 2012 V.1

Bing: June 2012

Key Features:

  • Approximate dimensions: 1370px x 700px
  • New design-centric layout with full wallpaper style
  • Menu items put above content area, top left
  • Orange square removed for search submit
Bing Search Page June 16, 2012 V.2
Bing Search Page June 16, 2012 V.2

Bing: June 2013

Key Features:

  • Approximate dimensions: 1370px x 700px
  • Continues with design-centric layout with full wallpaper style
  • Orange magnifying glass icon added for search submit
  • Updated Bing logo is added to left of search field
  • Live tiles blink with information related to the background image
Bing Search Page June 3, 2013
Bing Search Page June 3, 2013

Bing: June 2014

Key Features:

  • Approximate dimensions: 1370px x 700px
  • Continues with design-centric layout with full wallpaper style
  • Orange magnifying glass icon added for search submit
  • Updated Bing logo is added to left of search field
  • Live tiles blink with information related to the background image
Bing Search Page June 3, 2014
Bing Search Page June 3, 2014
See how Hall can help increase your demand.