eBuzz - MSN's Bid for Specialized Search

MSN's Bid for Specialized Search

Specialized search engines are in the news, particularly after Microsoft's recent purchase of Medstory, a powerful health-related search engine known for results relevance and granularity effectiveness. Both companies will benefit from the acquisition.

As Mark Simon reported yesterday in Search Insider, "If there's anything that AdCenter has taught the world, it's that Microsoft is a master at taking the data it already has, and repurposing it into smarter search. A small army of Medstory clones will allow Microsoft to do just that, at a whole new level - as it will contain a huge inventory of behavioral data on vertically-minded searchers and search queries. MSN can use that data to deliver more relevant organic results, and better ads, within vertically-minded searches on Live.com itself."

While Google often seems to be the 800-pound gorilla in the search space, SEO professionals have always known that MSN is a force with which to be reckoned. Will it ultimately win the search wars? It's been pushing for dominance, and acquisitions such as this one &$151; that will enhance live.com and provide a stepping-stone to additional vertical markets — can only make that push closer to reality.

And that's our take on the news today!

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