Microsoft Wants More Search Share

In an effort to win back some search market share from rivals Google and Yahoo, Microsoft on Friday kicked off a nationwide advertising campaign designed to spread the word about the recently launched Windows Live Search.

Currently positioned in third place, Microsoft has a lot of ground to make up and the company is making no qualms about the fact that it's delayed arrival has set it back. In a September interview with BetaNews, Live.com senior product manager Justin Osmer said coming in third isn't bad, but added Microsoft wants to grow.

Indeed, search share is of critical importance if Microsoft wants to establish Windows Live as a viable revenue source. The company's online division has been the least profitable over the last several quarters, while Google has become the de facto standard when it comes to search advertising, which makes up the bulk of its revenue.

This means Microsoft has to acquire eyeballs, and with Google's share now estimated at 60.2%, #2 Yahoo's share at 22.5% and Microsoft splitting the rest with "Other," according to Internet media analyst firm Hitwise, the Redmond company has a long way to go. Advertisers track performance in terms of overall reach, so the terms "distant third" can be a serious turn-off.

"We believe the search business is still in its infancy, and we’re upping our game with cutting edge features like best of breed Local and Image search, along with practical tools that give people more control to help them better find what they’re searching for," a company spokesperson told BetaNews.

On Friday, Microsoft bought up advertising space online and in print across a range of newspapers. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, Seattle P-I, and San Jose Mercury News are among those feature the full-page ad.

"Before we begin, let us state the obvious. We’re late to the game. We admit it. But instead of shrugging our shoulders and becoming a footnote in search history, we’ve decided to write a few new chapters. Because, quite frankly, it’s just the beginning. In fact, 7 million new pages are added to the Internet every day," the ad reads.

The humble text follows a banner headline of: "Why on earth does the world need another search engine." The advertisement also mentions a number of Windows Live-specific features, such as the Slide Bar for simplifying search results and an image hover for previewing pictures.

"We don't watch the same TVs we watched 40 years ago and we certainly don't use the same PCs we did 20 years ago," Microsoft says. "The point is, there's a lot of innovating left to be done. We’re in this for the long haul - search is just a baby in the technology schoolyard and it can only get better. So is Live Search a step in that direction? That’s for you to decide."

Only time will tell whether Microsoft can win back users, but it's clear the company is prepared to do what it takes. It hopes to increase ad sales fourfold over the next thee years. Microsoft recently rolled out an online advertising platform to make this happen, and is continuing to launch new Windows Live services.

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