MSN launches new “built from the ground up” web search on MSN.com
Microsoft Corp. unveiled its anticipated new search engine on MSN.com this week, another step in a phased withdrawal from its former Yahoo-supported search offering, and a bid for a bigger share of the lucrative search market. The new “built from the ground up version of MSN Search,” provides more speed, more precise results and greater ease of use, according to Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of the MSN information services and merchant platform division at Microsoft.
Improvements since a beta version of the new search platform was launched by Microsoft in November include what MSN is calling “instant answers” from sources including Microsoft’s Encarta encyclopedia, music files and other content from MSN Music. It also includes features that give users more ability to customize and narrow searches and perform category searches and that improve local search.
MSN.com also has redesigned its home page with a cleaner look and improved organization to serve up more speed in navigation. Debuting with an introductory letter on MSN.com from Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, MSN’s new search service is being supported by a global online and offline ad campaign that Microsoft expects to reach some 90% of the U.S. population and several hundred million consumers internationally.
Currently, MSN is the third most-used search engine after Google and Yahoo. According to comScore Networks, 16.3% of all U.S. Internet searches in December were on MSN sites, up from 15.4% in December of the previous year. MSN trails Google sites, which received 34.7% of U.S. Internet searches in December, and Yahoo sites, which received 31.9%
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