"We want consumers to know, in contrast to the route that Google has pursued, we are staying true to the DNA of what a good search engine is really about," said Mike Nichols, Bing's chief marketing officer. "We will rank results on what's relevant to you and not based on how much someone might pay us."

Danny Sullivan, an Internet search expert and editor of SearchEngineLand.com who has been following Google since its inception, believes Microsoft is highlighting an important issue. "Google deserves to take its lumps on this." And added "I have been surprised by how little attention this issue has gotten so far because it's a 180-degree turn for Google."

Sullivan doesn’t think Bing’s shopping results are pristine either, pointing to its partnership with Shopping.com, which requires the merchants to pay to be in the listings. While all that is true, Bing's shopping section consists mostly of listings from merchants that haven't paid for the privilege, said Stefan Weitz, Bing's director.