• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, July 9, 2013

Apps are now powered by Bing. Microsoft has turned the search engine into a platform by opening its application programming interface (API), allowing developers to build apps that offer services.

These are the initial steps to change search and create a new model for the Web.

Opening the Entity, API will enable developers to use voice, optical characters and natural experience platforms to build apps that search for information, turn pages and more. Bing Maps will become more closely integrated into the Windows 8.1 operating system and search.

New applications powered by Bing make the platform more relevant to Microsoft and redefine the search experience. "We're at the preface of systems becoming more aware of the real world," said Stefan Weitz, director of Bing Search at Microsoft. "We're getting to the point where the search box or input becomes a universal canvas; ask it anything in any way and it will respond in a way that makes sense."

Along with creating great content, Weitz said search engine marketers need to start thinking about models like cost per acquisition or cost per action. Keywords are not disappearing, but these models through voice search, Google Glass, Xbox,= and other technologies will expand the use of search beyond paid links down the right rail.  

Bing engineers also continue to experiment with social search.

Weitz believes that at the core resides a person to answer the question: How do we integrate that person in a way that's not intrusive? One way -- Bing Boards, a community experiment that brings news and articles to the forefront -- curates information from experts in the space. Another way points to a tighter relationship with Facebook.

As Facebook builds out Graph Search, it's not clear how the platform might support Bing paid-search ads. A Microsoft spokesperson said: "We have a deep relationship with Facebook and are looking at ways to integrate advertising experiences, but have nothing to share at this time. If and/or when we develop advertising experiences, our first and foremost goal will be ensuring the best consumer experience."