Bing Moving to Encrypt Search Traffic by Default

[travelin cat]

With the move to encrypted search by default we will continue to pass along a referrer string so that marketers and webmasters will be able to identify traffic as coming from Bing. However, to further protect our users’ privacy, we will not include the used query terms.

[blogs.bing.com...]

[lucy24]

### and ###.

[topr8]

of course it is no surprise that they should do this.
i also do think that privacy is a huge issue on the internet, more than huge ... utterly humungus.
however passing the search term to webmasters is not a privacy issue in my opinion ... for so many obvious reasons.

like everything it is smoke and mirrors to detract from the fact that Bing/MS is collecting huge amounts of personal data across their properties about users and in their case it is often personally identifiable, given email account access etc.
i imagine that in the interests of user privacy they will not be using any kind of cross domain tracking and analysis anymore - keep your ears open, i'll be expecting an announcement relatively soon

[inbound]

Indeed this isn't a huge surprise, the big search engines are happy to play the privacy card when it suits them. The sad thing is that this will be trotted out as an example of safeguarding privacy, and it'll bamboozle the majority of the press who will pass on the "good news" whilst completely missing what's really going on.

Long gone are the days when we can examine the querystring to better serve the needs of visitors; that's a shame as some of us actually did use it to benefit users.

[lucy24]

Long gone are the days when we can examine the querystring to better serve the needs of visitors; that's a shame as some of us actually did use it to benefit users.

Exactly. It's like a brick-and-mortar store. If a lot of people come in expecting to find widgets, you either start selling widgets-- or * you figure out what you were doing that led people to expect you to have widgets in stock, and then you can change things so you don't end up wasting your staff's time with the wrong customers. Can't do that if the customers refuse to say that they're looking for the widget department.


* I'm currently working on an ebook in which for several pages there was a steady stream of paragraphs alternating entweder A oder B. But sometimes he lost track and went to oder C.

[tangor]

The undefined (but always understood) partnership between search engines and webmasters (who came first?) is being turned upside down every day. This is one more nail in that coffin. Next step is either picking winners and losers, censorship, or pay-to-play. Th world of the web is changing, and a lot of us will not like it.

[keyplyr]

I foresee a pay-for-advanced-webmaster-services tool. And if one SE does it, the rest will follow.

### and ###

New rewrites?

[Leosghost]

Exactly. It's like a brick-and-mortar store. If a lot of people come in expecting to find widgets, you either start selling widgets-- or * you figure out what you were doing that led people to expect you to have widgets in stock, and then you can change things so you don't end up wasting your staff's time with the wrong customers. Can't do that if the customers refuse to say that they're looking for the widget department.

When Google ( who drive the majority of SE traffic ) decided to no longer pass on the search term "for reasons of user privacy" ( unless one buys adwords ;) it became necessary to become a niche boutique owner ,( or open many niche boutiques ) not a general store..
It was only a matter of time before Bing did the same (as would any SE that sells targeted ads ), Yahoo and the others do not send enough traffic % ATM to mention, and the same strategy applies / will apply to their traffic anyway..

The solution is to make many distinct, separate boutiques*, each stocking only one species of widget..
To make it very clear to search engines, and potential customers passing, which species of widget is on sale inside each..
*Domain names are cheap..and, there is still a lot of "low hanging fruit"..even in the dot com space
The customer, upon entering, either buys the species on display..or leaves..
( If the latter, they may be back, just make the page / site "memorable", so they will not get lost, if they do wish to return )
You can provide multiple exits..leading to your other boutiques..they may exit via them..and they may purchase when they land on your next niche boutique..
Or the customer may leave they way they came in ( the back button )..if the page(s) are carefully constructed, one will know why they arrived..and thus what they were looking for..one does not always need more than one page..
It is never worth wondering what might would have happened..



"No one is ever told what would have happened"..**

**10.50-51

[chewy]

Was just citing that Bing was still relatively safe in passing off the referring search term.

_________ (insert cliche here)

Will they do the same in their CPC as Google appears to be increasingly doing? I expect so.

At the very least, it is nice that GWMT is tossing us a bone - but make no mistake, that is what it is.

[lucy24]

The solution is to make many distinct, separate boutiques

In my case I'm not sure it would make a difference. "What on earth did I do or say that would lead someone to think I stock framistans?"

[toidi]

The solution is to make many distinct, separate boutiques*, each stocking only one species of widget.. 

I went there a long time ago and it works. As the serps fluctuate, i always have some sites performing.