Search Engine Marketing
Microsoft Unveils Its New, Improved Search Platform
February 2005
Microsoft’s highly anticipated and much-improved search engine was revealed to the public in November 2004 as MSN Search Beta. Although released in test stage form then, developers at MSN began to have it running alongside the search engine big dogs such as Google and Yahoo in early 2005. On Feb. 1, 2005 the company made the official switch from using Yahoo-powered results to the new MSN search algorithm.
Microsoft’s main selling point on their new engine is that it provides more useful answers to searchers’ questions in a shorter, quicker amount of time compared to other search engines. This is done by letting the user establish more control and direction over their search experience, resulting in less time spent searching and more accurate answers.
The new MSN Search boasts an index of 5 billion web pages, an impressive number ... until Google raised its index to a whopping 8 billion web pages in response.
New, highlighted features include
- A “Near Me” button allows you to run searches based on location, which is most effective when searching for local services and industries. Currently this feature only works for sites located within the United States.
- MSN attempts to integrate reference answers with web page results in another included feature. A fact-specific search option is offered where users can ask direct questions such as “How tall is the Sears Tower?” and receive actual answers, not just results, from Microsoft’s Encarta Encyclopedia.
- A new music search feature allows the user to type in an artist’s name, album or song to get further information and website links related to that artist. You can even preview and purchase songs straight from MSN Music.
MSN Search Beta is available for public use at msn.com and worldwide in 26 markets and 11 languages. The old MSN search technology, powered by Yahoo search results, is no longer available. Although not much of a powerhouse in the search engine department, MSN currently ranks as the No. 2 web destination according to the Internet measurement service Nielsen/NetRatings. Yahoo takes the No. 1 slot.
With the creation of many new features that did not exist on the old search platform, and their larger index, MSN hopes to catapult themselves back into the game.
"Our intentions down the road are not only to continue to grow the engine," Microsoft Product Manager Justin Osmer said, "but to also set the groundwork for a third party ecosystem that would allow others to use our technology. We as a company realize that there is a significant difference between shrink wrapped software (in other words, MSFT's bread and butter) and the online world."
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