Microsoft kicks off search effort (Microsoft throws down gauntlet to Google)

CNET ^ | 2/1/2005 | Stefanie Olsen

[KwasiOwusu]

Microsoft on Monday replaced Yahoo's search technology with its own homespun software and will kick off a huge advertising campaign to supplant Google in consumers' hearts.

As expected, MSN, a unit of the software giant, has taken its Web search technology out of the laboratory, and placed it on MSN's newly redesigned home page in 25 countries. Two and a half years in the making, MSN Search will now be the focal point of the updated, lighter-weight site; and it is the subject of Microsoft's newest ad campaign, which includes television, print, Internet and outdoor promotions.

MSN Search Vice President Christopher Payne would not disclose ad spending, but he estimated that 90 percent of Americans, as well as U.K. and Japanese residents, will encounter the campaign. television ads, for example, will run during the Super Bowl, the Oscars and the Grammys. "Oh, you're going to notice it," he said.
....................................
Google is still at the top of the heap, but its lead is shrinking. In December 2004, Google served about 34.7 percent of the market, down 0.3 percent from the previous period in 2003, according to ComScore Networks. During the same period, Yahoo jumped from serving 27 percent of the market to 31.9 percent. And MSN added a point to its position, going from 15.4 percent to 16.3 percent from December to December.

Key to MSN's strategy to win over the Web population is providing "answers" to queries, rather than millions of links, Payne said. While Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, Google and smaller sites like Answers.com have sought to fill in search requests with answers to questions on the weather, entertainment and package tracking, MSN believes it can do one better with its encyclopedia software Encarta.

[JoJo Gunn]

That's part of Google Watch, I think. I can't say I've been eager to grovel for a G-mail account.

[KwasiOwusu]

"The fact remains that a lot of those hits aren't from conscious decisions to make MSN a home page"

Takes exactly 5 seconds to change a home page.
Plus every other browser out there comes with its own agenda and home page.
Plus its perfectly LEGAL and perfectly within the terms of the antitrust settlement with the US government.

[KwasiOwusu]

"MSN's "NEW" search has been available for MONTHS publicly... its not some secret"

# 1, it was beta.
Few people even knew where the beta site was.

#2, Microsoft never marketed it. Now they are lunching a huge marketing campaign, Super Bowl, Grammy's, Oscars etc etc.

That makes a lot of difference.
No use having a great products if you don't market it :)

[JerseyHighlander]

Uptime = Number of units of time the site is running/Number of units of time site has been tracked

The denominator is 0 as of today.

[streetpreacher]

Key to MSN's strategy to win over the Web population is providing "answers" to queries, rather than millions of links, Payne said.  ...MSN believes it can do one better with its encyclopedia software Encarta.

That's it?? I'm going to get encyclopedic descriptions from my search queries? I guess they missed that whole internet revolution thingey...

[JoJo Gunn]

Yeah, I know how to change a home page, but as I said, and you ignored, some tyros don't know how or don't care, but being Gate's meat flute player, (First Chair, what an honor!) you won't take that into account.

Thanks for bringing up the DOJ, by the way.

[Arthalion]

No use having a great products if you don't market it :)

For what it's worth, Google has never spent one dime on advertising and marketing. A truly good product will stand on its own.

[Smartaleck]

"Don't know, but microsoft's track record of taking over industies is not without failures"

Considering all the computer related hardware and software companies that have come and gone, they come out ahead.

Remember the dot.com bust? MS is still there and earning more money than ever.

When you're as big as they are and buy as many companies as they have the bust and successes are in the numbers on both accounts.

I know firsthand the shortcomings of some of their endevors, but overall, look at the successes they have had.

[streetpreacher]

You take this rather personal, eh?

[ShadowAce]

...set to take over the installed base as well.

Well, they're gonna have to pedal pretty hard to catch up:

[KwasiOwusu]

"For what it's worth, Google has never spent one dime on advertising and marketing"

Neither did Netscape..to start off with.
They did though once they started feeling the heat.. from Microsoft.

Plus I am not even sure you are right on that point.

[JoJo Gunn]

Netscape didn't have the advantage of having an OS which they could tie so tightly a browser into, did they?

Did I say thanks for bringing up the DOJ yet?

[KwasiOwusu]

"Well, they're gonna have to pedal pretty hard to catch up"

On ho!
He's gone and dragged up that doggone lil old Netcraft kiddies painting again.

Listen we are talking ALL servers, NOT web servers.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Did I say thanks for bringing up the DOJ yet?"

I'd say thanks to the Bush DOJ, who eventually reached a very good settlement with Microsoft and I'd give the finger to the Klinton mafia who took hefty sums from Microsoft rivals in order to do their bidding.

[Arthalion]

Nope, look it up. Google has never taken out an advertisement in radio, magazine, television, newspaper, or even through banner ads on the Internet in order to promote their search. The ONLY ad's Google has ever bought were local legal announcements as required by law (for things like their business license, IPO, and such), to attract applicants for certain open jobs they needed to fill, and to make a public announcement here and there. They have NEVER marketed the search engine itself.

And they grew to dominate the industry while their competitors, including Yahoo, MSN, Lycos, and Altavista, were spending tens of millions of combined dollars to attract viewers to their sites via television, radio, and print. Google beat them ALL through basic word of mouth promotion because their product was simply BETTER.

[streetpreacher]

When you only have to pieces of software to run, it's bound to be faster?

LOL... now I understand your username.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Thanks for bringing up the DOJ, by the way"

Love the Ashcrosft DOJ.
What a fine upstanding man Ashcrosft is.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Google beat them ALL through basic word of mouth promotion because their product was simply BETTER."

This is the start of a marathon, not a sprint.
We will see.

[streetpreacher]

Well, golly, gee. Thanks for the civics lesson...I had no idea....being born and educated here in America. And you even think its "fine" ...that even makes me feel lots better about it, now that I know you approve....NOT!

No problem really. He just answered you from MSN's cool new search. Civics lessons straight from Encarta.

[Arthalion]

This is the start of a marathon, not a sprint. We will see.

Granted, but my money is on Google (figuratively, their stock is way too overhyped right now to put it there literally).

In one corner, you have Google, a company that believes in doing one thing and doing it well. Their entire company is dedicated to a single cause...to make search better, faster, and to get users off their site as quickly as possible.

In the other corner you have MSN Search, a site that tries to be everything to everybody. Its design is a compromise, and as such isn't nearly up to par with Google's in the areas of simplicity, usability, and performance. Even if MSN matches Googles search results quality, Google will still have the upper hand in these areas. MSN's ONLY advantage at this point is the search localization feature, which is useless for AOL users (still the largest single user block on the Internet), only midly useful for most of the rest of the Internet, and which Google has no doubt already begun writing a competitor for.

It'll be an interesting race to watch, and search users will no doubt be the biggest beneficiaries, but I have to place odds on the company with the proven track record in this area, and not on the company who's search track record is so punctuated by failure that they actually gave up and leased their competitors technology for years.