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Bing's link-up with Facebook is not hugely significant as it is very similar to Google's existing social search function.

This is the view of Search Engine Land columnist Ciaran Norris, who said he is "really not sure it's that exciting".

Earlier this month, Microsoft's search product joined forces with the social network to allow its users to see results based on the activities of their friends.

The beta launch, which is only currently available in the US, is believed to give 'likes' on the portal a similar relevance to links in the search engine's algorithm.

However, Mr Norris pointed out that this may not be as useful as its sounds, as not everyone has numerous things in common with all of their friends.

"For example, whilst a large percentage of my friends have young families and live in London, I live in Dublin and have no kids to worry about," he commented, explaining that this means many of his search needs are different from some of his acquaintances.

Posting on Clickz recently, commentator Harry Gold also commented on the relationship between search engines and social media sites, arguing that they are not really rivals as they perform different functions.