I've give my disclaimer right up front, I'm a Microsoft junky. 

I hear a lot of people hyping up Google and what a great search engine they are etc. etc. etc.  Yes, Google has the majority of traffic from internet users, but after analyzing some site statistics for clients the past couple of days, I have come across a very interesting stat.  The bounce rate for Google is more than double that of the bounce rate for Bing!.  What does this mean?  It means that the search results Google gives are not as relevant as those for Bing!  It means that Microsoft's ads for Bing! claiming that their search results are better when using Bing! are actually true.  It means the visitors you get from Bing! are worth more.  You may get twice as many visitors from Google, but in the end only those that "convert" to whatever your site is, are the ones worth measuring. Google seems to just lump a bunch of information together, whereas it appears that Bing! is giving better results. 

Now to admin that I have a problem.  I still use Google out of habit.  I guess that means Google is addictive, but so is cocaine.  Does this mean Google is bad for you? Recognizing a problem is the first step in overcoming, right?

For the past month a lot of effort has gone in to the site redesign of Backcountry Secrets.  I basically rebuilt this web site from the ground up.  Some of the features of the new site design are faster page load times, a more pleasing graphic design, and more intuitive user interface.  We also added the ability for members to share photos through Flickr, upload and download KML files that are displayed on Google Maps, and submit user reviews.  One new feature that will help with Search Engine Optimization and keeping users on the site longer is the display of "Points Nearby".  These will be internal links and keep users on the site longer looking at related points.