14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft continues the struggle to make Bing a much better search engine for everyone and compete against Google, which remains the number one choice for the majority of users worldwide, this time with some new features aimed at those living in the United States.
Starting today, Bing is the right companion service for those looking to access and download tax forms, which “makes sense given almost two thirds of US citizens file their own taxes,” as Microsoft itself said in a post today.
Basically, the new options are supposed to make the process of finding, accessing, and downloading forms “as streamlined as possible,” the company explains, so you should be able to take advantage of them without spending too much time learning new tricks.
“When you search for tax forms or IRS forms (the most common tax related searches) you’ll see an optimized user experience providing you with instant access to tax forms and related documents,” Microsoft explained.
“If you know which form you’re looking for (e.g. 1040) we show you relevant information and quick links but if you don’t know where to start just type in ‘tax forms’ or ‘IRS forms’ and we show you the most commonly searched-for forms. We also surface useful information at a glance, including where to mail your taxes or where to e-File. We’ve also upped our game on the web relevance side, providing you with authoritative and relevant web results on filing your taxes.”
At the same time, the software giant has also launched a dedicated portal at bing.com/taxes that’s supposed to provide users with information and tips on how to file the tax forms, which is considered to be one of the most difficult tasks for plenty of Americans.
Citing a research conducted by Bing and Impulse Research, the software giant notes that “one in four people would rather clean their house from top to bottom than file their taxes,” so it’s pretty clear that the new feature could really come in handy to many users out there.
“While it’s not one of people’s favorite things to do, taxes is one of the most commonly searched topics, with spikes for tax-related searches starting in January and continuing through April,” the company noted.
The feature is only available in the United States and it’s only now being rolled out to users living in the country, so in case it’s not yet there, make sure you give it a try in a few hours.