Gonna try MSN search?

[dick dastardly]

In case you haven't heard Microsoft have just launched their own search engine which they aim to destroy Google with, and next week they will be launching one of the largest advertising campaigns ever seen (they aim to hit over 90% of US houses 40 times over with their TV adverts alone!).

A lot of my work is with Search Engine marketing and I was just wondering how many of you knew about this new engine, how many of you care, and if any of you are going to try MSN search?

[einion yrth]

Help that arse Gates shut down another competitor? I think not!

[tuscan_v8]

einion yrth said:

Help that arse Gates shut down another competitor? I think not!

Agreed, I'm sticking with google.

[docevi1]

MS tried to buy Googol (google is a typo ) and were turned down so they have made their own.

Google is the best search site layout due to it's simplicity however it's getting very cluttered with crap nowadays - try searching for a product and you end up having to delve very deep into the links to find a site about it not a sales list...

[GregE240]

That'll be another law suit, you watch. Whistler will come with it embedded, Google will cry foul and Gates will be hit with a big legal invoice.

<sigh>

[dick dastardly]

What is your opinion of the Google results though? A lot of people find them to be more and more worthless as 'Spammy' sites are getting higher rankings.

Would you shitch if MSN gave better results?

[RobDickinson]

They already get far to many hits by defaulting IE to use MSN anyhow.

The fewer areas M$ dominate in the better.

[JonRB]

MSN search is giving my wife's website a MUCH higher ranking than Google. I suspect MSN's algorithm is far more heavily skewed towards content which is no bad thing at all.

Try typing "betty boop uk" into Google and you'll get bored flicking through pages before you find www.shopatbettyboop.co.uk but try it on MSN Search and it's 1st page.

Sounds good to me.

Seriously though, Google really need to pull their socks up. Far too many SEO people know how to trick it now and it is becoming almost useless for actually finding stuff.

>> Edited by JonRB on Thursday 3rd February 14:43

[RobDickinson]

Yeah, a lot of top links on google thesedays are links to other search engines, I hate that.

[FourWheelDrift]

Try http://vivisimo.com/ it uses clustering technology, it puts all similar results together in groups.

[jacobyte]

Go to http://search.msn.co.uk/ and click on "What's new in MSN Search" and it takes you to the MSN homepage, so you click on "New MSN Search" and it takes you back to stage 1. In fact try it a few times and it takes you to different pages. Aaaaaargh!

Google is still my friend for the time being.