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Microsoft Search nowhere to be found
The year of 2007 is coming to an end, and so, it seems, is Microsoft's attempt to regain some ground in the hotly contested search market. According to the data, Microsoft has two main troubles: getting people to use Live Search, and converting people to using Live Search as their main search portal. Translation: they ain't doing so good.
The latest statistics published by Nielsen Online give Live Search and MSN a share of just 12.0% of all the searches on the U.S. market in November, compared to 13.8% in October. Those numbers pale when put next to Google, who recorded less queries in November but still increased its market share to 57.7%.
So why the disparity? Simple: the name. You can easily tell someone in a casual conversation to "Google" it, but telling someone to "Live Search" it is just so not cool (okay, okay, it's not the name; we simply didn't want to elucidate on the myriad factors behind the philosophy and practice of web searches, and were looking to save some time).
Comments
9
Subscribe to commentsKevinDec 28th 2007 5:59PM
It's true. Live Search is my web search engine of choice, but whenever I tell someone to search the web and want to tell them use Live Search... I can't quite think of how to phrase it, without sounding like I am telling them which search engine to use. (If you tell someone to "google it", it's a little different than saying "search it on google".)
Google still sounds high. I say this, because 80% of my searches online are on Wikipedia. Thought more people might have been like that.
BillDec 28th 2007 11:02PM
Kevin, I'm having a little problem understanding what's the problem. GOOGLE has become generic for "web search"--it's like saying KLEENEX for any brand of "tissue". So telling someone that SCOTTIES are your favorite brand of KLEENEX may be technically incorrect, but it makes perfect sense in normal converstaion. By analogy, saying "I actually use LIVE SEARCH when I GOOGLE" is perfectly understandable--it states your preference.
MarkDec 28th 2007 11:37PM
"I actually use LIVE SEARCH when I GOOGLE"
I have to disagree, I don't think people use Google as a generic term for any search engine. They do use it when they are talking about doing a web search (Google for it) but they actually mean to use Google, not Yahoo or any other engine. Which isn't hard since practically everyone uses Google now.
It may just be me though. I don't call all tissues kleenex nor do I call all soft drinks Coke. It all just sounds so stupid to me if you're talking about a completely different product.
michaelDec 29th 2007 12:02AM
Simply say "Live Search it" :)
It will eventually catch on. I just drop a link to clarify better.
I use it too, and prefer it over Google.
Web search works basically the same way (but shorter URL), though I find that the UI is more crisper and cleaner somehow. And I like the Instant Answers, and the other neat things it brings in with the results, like searching "Houston traffic" brings up a real interactive map on the page. And it's still super fast.
Video and Image search are definitely steps ahead.
Book Search is also somewhat better, and they're getting better on the Maps Search.
Overall, I'm liking it. Wish people actually gave it a try these days.
do-not-digestDec 29th 2007 12:05PM
It's not the names that's wrong it's everything!
RPDec 29th 2007 1:59PM
Microsoft's branding is getting harder to follow, since it's all so generic: "Windows", "Live", "Spaces", "One Care".
Words like "Windows", "Live", and "mobile" mean nothing anymore. They are generic.
My favorite: "Windows Live for Mobile". 3 generics.
Almost as bad as the old "Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Professional Edition" (abbreviated WM2k3fPPPE?). Whoever thought that one up was out of control!
RPDec 29th 2007 2:10PM
Wow, Google handled 4.2 trillion searches in November?
I suspect that Microsoft/MSN/Live gets most of their traffic because it's the default IE homepage on new computers. And IE7's search box defaults to "Live" search.
I wonder how many users are savvy enough to change these defaults? Or if they use bookmarks, or type in "Google.com" then search?
MarkDec 29th 2007 4:35PM
I still know a few people who REFUSE to use Google because it doesn't have any "features" (because Google's home page is so sparse compared to bloated portals like Yahoo). I've found it pointless to try and explain that the sole purpose of a search engine is for doing searches and not reading the news, playing games and downloading toolbars; they'll hear nothing of it. :(
MysteriusDec 31st 2007 1:54AM
Set up iGoogle pages for them?