52.3 F
Indianapolis
Friday, March 29, 2024

Microsoft Rolling Out New Search In Latest Bid To Take On Google

More by this author

SEATTLE — Microsoft (MSFT) is rolling out a redesigned search site in the coming days it hopes will lure more Web surfers than its two most recent incarnations, Live Search and MSN Search.

The new site, Bing, adds touches intended to make Web searching a little less haphazard. Bing also tries to make it easier for people to buy things, book travel and find credible health information.

But many companies, including Amazon.com (AMZN) and IAC (IACI), and startups like Hakia, ChaCha and Cuil have tried to improve on the basic “10 blue links” format of search results, but search king Google (GOOG) has so far been unstoppable.

Microsoft’s Live Search failed to catch on partly because the software maker didn’t do much to promote it. Marketing is no guarantee of success — IAC heavily advertised makeovers of Ask.com — but this time, Microsoft appears to be taking no chances. Ad Age reported that Microsoft plans to spend as much as $100 million to advertise Bing.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft has been stuck in third place behind Google and Yahoo (YHOO) for years. Its share of U.S. search queries was 8.2% in April, says market tracker comScore. Google had 64.2% and Yahoo 20.4%.

Google’s sales — $4.7 billion in the first quarter — are tied to its search dominance, because companies will pay more to reach a wider audience when they place ads alongside search results. Microsoft posted a loss last quarter in its online ad unit.

“We want to do better,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Thursday at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference.

“There are times in our history where we’ve felt a little bit like Rocky,” he said, referring to the fictional underdog boxer. “It takes persistence in this stuff. You don’t always get things right.”

When asked why Microsoft chose “Bing,” he said, “The name is short, it’s easy to say, it works globally.”

To challenge Google, Microsoft tried taking over Yahoo last year. But after Yahoo rebuffed its $47.5 billion offer, Microsoft turned to improving its own Live Search.

Ballmer reiterated Thursday that Microsoft is still interested in a search partnership with Yahoo, and not an outright acquisition, but he didn’t disclose any new details.

Matt Rosoff, an analyst for the independent research group Directions on Microsoft, says Microsoft’s search results are usually on par with Google’s. He likes the new features. Microsoft has a chance to increase its share, he said, but “I have to wonder whether users are really crying out for a new search engine.”

© Copyright 2000-2009 Investor’s Business Daily, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.. Displayed by permission. All rights reserved.

- Advertisement -
ads:

Upcoming Online Townhalls

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest local news.

Stay connected

1FansLike
1FollowersFollow
1FollowersFollow
1SubscribersSubscribe

Related articles

Popular articles

Español + Translate »
Skip to content