MSN Live Search Changes Expected Soon

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

MSN is expecting to make changes to its search engine Live Search. I think this is long overdue. I’m all for anything that will benefit end users in the search industry. MSN being the third largest search engine has a long way to go to be truly competitive with Google. And they are absolutely right about one thing: Live Search is not a very brandable item. A name change would certainly be in order.

Personally, I think MSN Live Search should get rid of the fluff and go the way of Ask.com. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Google rose to prominence partly because of its emphasis on search and nothing but search. The single search box in the middle of the screen, unfettered by advertising that takes one’s attention away from the real purpose, has drawn many of us to use Google and prefer it over all its competitors. Yahoo! may have a lot of cool stuff on its home page, but it’s just stuff. I surmise that most people aren’t interested in all of it. But all of us are interested, to some degree, in the search feature it offers. That’s where MSN needs to focus if it is going to compete.

Then again, you could argue that MSN and Yahoo! make their living off of those display ads, which serve a useful purpose to businesses seeking attention. At any rate, I’m anxious to see the changes to occur as a result of MSNs new epiphany.