Search: Google Grows And Grows, MSN Not So Much
We all know that when Microsoft enters a new business, usually pioneered by someone else, it usually gets it right after one, two, well make that three tries.
Will the same hold true in Internet search? Unclear. But the latest U.S. search rankings from Hitwise show Google growing its Web search dominance. Again. This despite Microsoft's recently retooled MSN Live service.
For November, Google saw its percentage of U.S. searches grow to 65.1 percent in November, up from 64.49 the month before and up from 61.84 percent for the previous November. MSN Live fell to 7.09 percent from 7.42 percent month to month and from 9.82 percent from November 2006. Yahoo remains number two with 21.21 percent of U.S. searches down from 21.65 percent last month and from 22.43 percent last November.
I'm not sure if MSN has been tweaked three full times yet, but I do know that Microsoft has been trying to shift the debate for some time. What REALLY matters, says Microsoft, is internal corporate search. And there, they swear, they're tops. And truth be told, some of the Windows search stuff works okay. Although yours truly prefers Google Desktop for most of that as well.
But this is vintage Microsoft. If at first, second, third time you don't succeed, change the subject and declare victory.
Barbara Darrow, industry editor of Redmond Magazine, Redmond Developer News and Redmond Channel Partner, can be reached at
[email protected]
Posted by Barbara Darrow on December 13, 2007