I was just checking some numbers for a couple of client's sites and noticed a huge change on the pages indexed being reported in Windows Live Search. Try a couple of queries using the site: command. I tried a couple for some sites that should have roughly 5-7 million pages indexed. According to Windows Live these sites now have 3.5 billion (yes billion) pages indexed. This is not accurate. Performing the following query in Windows Live site:www.google.com returned 4,841,610,405 results.
Obviously the folks at Microsoft are up to something. Or are they simply not allowing users to check their index page count or backlinks? The fact that something is up may be a good thing. Here's a couple of ideas that Microsoft may be pursuing.
- Implementing a new tool similar to Google Webmaster Tools - this would be a good thing
- Updating the MSN toolbar - possibly, but we think there is more to it than just a toolbar update
- Looking to change the display of the Windows Live/MSN SERPs - this is a possibility since the release of Windows Live bombed a number of months back
- Incorporating personalization into the Windows Live/MSN SERPs - can't see this happening as they (Microsoft) just don't have the vision or skills to pull this off ahead of Google or ASK. Microsoft have a terrible search engine, adding personalized search results would surely be too much for them to handle
- Just a glitch - this may indeed be the very thing that is happening with the engine as they update their actual index
Not sure what is in store with Windows Live, but considering how Microsoft continues to lose market share in the search world, something happening would be better than nothing.
Labels: MSN, Windows Live Search
|
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
Jody,
MSN/Live is falling further behind Google and in traffic terms even Yahoo.
They need to do something drastic. The trouble is Google presents a moving target.