How are the results ranked?
The search results on Ecosia and the search-linked ads displayed come from Microsoft Bing. Microsoft continually designs and optimizes its algorithms to provide the most comprehensive, relevant, and useful search results. Click here for Microsoft's privacy policy.
Websites can advertise through Microsoft Advertising on Ecosia, as well as on the Bing network. However, this does not affect algorithmic rankings. Learn more about how paid search ads are ranked in search results.
Below you will find an overview of the main parameters that Microsoft Bing uses to rank content organically. The complex ranking system uses many criteria to deliver search results, and the relative importance of each of the parameters described below can vary from search to search and evolve over time:
| Parameter | Relevance for ranking |
| Relevance |
Content is considered relevant when the content of the target page matches the intent behind the search query. This includes matching terms directly on the page, as well as terms used in links that point to the page. Microsoft also considers semantic equivalents, including synonyms or abbreviations that may not be exact matches of the query terms, but are understood to have the same meaning. |
| Quality and credibility | Websites are evaluated on the basis of various factors. These include the reputation of the author, the reputation of the web page, and the level of discourse (e.g. an article with citations and references to data sources is considered higher quality than one that does not explain cited data sources; Microsoft may downgrade content that contains name calling, offensive statements, or derogatory language), the completeness of the content, and the transparency of authorship. |
| Commitment of the users |
To determine user interaction, Bing asks questions such as: Did users click through to search results for a particular query, and if so, which results? Did users spend time on those search results they clicked through to, or did they quickly return to the search results page? Did users customize or rephrase the query? |
| Timeliness | The search engine prefers up-to-date content. In many cases, content produced today will be relevant in years to come. In some cases, however, content produced today will quickly become outdated. |
| Location | In the ranking results, Microsoft takes into account the location of users (country and city), where the page is hosted, as well as the language of the document or the location of other visitors to the page. |
| Page loading time |
Slow loading times can cause users to leave a website, possibly before the content has even loaded. Microsoft may consider this a poor user experience and an unsatisfactory search result. |
The characteristics of the goods or services offered on a site do not affect how Microsoft ranks results, except in cases where the content may be potentially offensive or harmful to users.
For example, pages that offer adult content are not available in strict safe search mode. Furthermore, pages that distribute potentially harmful content, such as suicide methods or sales platforms for opioids and other potentially harmful drugs, may be downgraded in ranking.