MSN Beta Junk

[DarrenC]

I've done some searches in MSN tonight and all I got was junk - the first beta version brought up three / four results from the same page within the first page of results.. appears that hasn't being resolved.

These results have to be the most unthemed, irrelevant results seen on a search engine.

What do all of you think to Google's main competitor? I bet Google are getting very worried :rolleyes:

[lorien1973]

i like the beta. I'm #1 for a word I'm stuck behind the manufacturer in google. I'm #15 for "home & garden" on MSN - 31 on google. I wish I could search a ton of terms at once, like I do here with google; but alas, spot checking is all I got.

[digitalpoint]

Try using it for terms you don't have sites for and see how the results are for you as a user trying to find relevant results. That's what is important.

[lorien1973]

What's sad is that I don't search online for much anymore. Since I do business online, I am so tired of the internet; that I don't even shop online unless I absolutely have to.

Has anyone noticed the sponsored links at top? they redirect thru ads.msn.com - is msn developing its own answer to overture and adwords?

[minstrel]

I've done some searches in MSN tonight and all I got was junk... These results have to be the most unthemed, irrelevant results seen on a search engine. What do all of you think to Google's main competitor? I bet Google are getting very worried :rolleyes:
That's my take on it too. I have a standard set of search phrases, some related to my sites, some I commonly use to search for specific information categories. What I see so far on MSN Search, as with the tech preview, is spammy stuff and out of date articles -- in fact some of the same junk I used to see on Google a couple of years ago before it cleaned them out.

That's not impressing me so far. And I agree that if I were Google I'd be starting to wonder if I had been worrying about nothing -- "not a bang but a whimper", to take poetic liberties...

I also have to say I'm surprised. With Microsoft's resources and the time they've had to throw those resources into developing this search engine, not to mention the relatively active MSNBot, I expected more by now.

[dazzlindonna]

I continue to think its fine. Just to make sure, after reading this thread, I looked around my office and picked some items on my desk at random and typed in some search phrases for those items. Everything MSN beta pulled up was relevant and would have satisfied my search as a user. Works for me.

[minstrel]

One correction: I just re-read my post above dazzlindonna's.

I don't mean to imply it isn't returning relevant results at all -- just that mixed in with the top 20 relevant results are spammy sites and oudtated articles (like Google 2 years ago).

Of course, that may well depend on the types of information one is searching for...

[john_loch]

As I said a month or so ago, it's not even worth my time.

If i want spam, I already have an array of engines to choose from.

They have a long way to go and their business model will force them to recognize that (if they even have one that's sensitive to user feedback).

The only way they are going to get it anywhere is through marketing.
And I'm afraid G has already been there and done that.

I just hope they have the common sense to roll out the *real* technology before SEM dependants dive in.

Right now, it's a waste of space - so what I want to know is, how the hell are they going to do it ? It won't stand up to the simplest critique. Hell, G can just sit back and watch the coffers churn.

There's more to this than meets the key, and, although Goggle wigs have a line on it, the rest of us remain in the dark :)

What do you think Anthonycea ?

Cheers,

JL

[melfan]

It will improve soon. It is still in BETA stage. Give it a chance :)

[minstrel]

Yeah but really they've had a year and dumptrucks full of money thrown at it and this is the best they could do?

You're right, of course, melfan... they may yet get it right. I would have expected them to be a little closer to "right" by now, though.

[dazzlindonna]

Oh I won't argue that there aren't spammy sites mixed into the results. But the same happens with Google, Yahoo, and everyone else. Right now, there's not a search engine that I'm aware of that shows perfect results. But the new MSN looks as good to me as any of the others. The only thing I would argue is that if returning some spam mixed in with relevant sites is Junk (title of this thread), then that same title could apply to all the search engines.

[minstrel]

Agreed. From my standpoint, Google still beats out the others though. For the searches I do, anyway...

[Las Vegas Homes]

Well I know within the real estate industry, MSN has got rid of the real estate doorway sites and the spam filled link text sites with no real content to offer consumers.

I also did a few searchs for things not related to my profession and as a consumer I found them to be very relevant.

[debunked]

Just make sure your sites are optimized for good listings in MSN, since it is true that many users have msn.com set as their default, especially new broadband users. M$ isn't stupid and they will find ways of being popular even if they are not the best.

I think this may be their business model:
they will find ways of being popular even if they are not the best.

LOL

[melfan]

I think this may be their business model:
they will find ways of being popular even if they are not the best.

I strongly agree! there are the best on that. It is already proven :)

[minstrel]

Yes... good point. Like Dr. Nick in The Simpsons: "You've tried the best... now try the rest!" :D

[rth]

History has shown being the best does not necessarily translate into being #1 in the market place. Remember the Beta vs VHS showdown? If people always chose the best, AOL would be OOL and Gore would be headed for his second term. :)

JMHO,

Roger

[mudnik]

and Gore would be headed for his second term. :)



I like that! LOL :D

[minstrel]

Yeah, that was a shame... the man did, after all, invent the internet. Then again, Dan Quayle invented the reverse spell-checker and no one wanted him back for another term...

[darksat]

Well as long as they rank my sites high I really dont care how relevant the results are.
I can alway use google.

[mopacfan]

Gore would be headed for his second term. :)
Thank God that didn't happen!!!

[DarrenC]

Alot of the searches I did were not based on my website - I could quite easily moan and groan because my site doesn't feature well in MSN, but it was a general search about different topics.

Some of the searches DID have irrelevant results, a lot of spam and a lot of duplicated pages, and sites with very little content. I agree though that MSN has supposedly thrown a lot of money into this and to be honest it looks like a complete rush effort in my opinion.

MSN are going to have to a lot more than play with it's interface if they want me to use them instead of Google.

[randfish]

The results from the research I did show MSN lagging behind, but not considerably. I think the results are just about appropriate for a Beta version of a search engine.

http://www.socengine.com/seo/guide/msn-beta-vs-yahoo-google.html

Interestingly enough, in my study, MSN's overall quality of sites listed slightly edged out Yahoo! - http://www.socengine.com/seo/guide/msn-beta-vs-yahoo-google.html#interestingnumbers

[Las Vegas Homes]

Maybe its my lack of knowledge, but everything I have searched for in MSN seems very relevant and has better content than most Yahoo or google sites I have seen come up for those same type searches. Looking at it from a consumers point of view and not a website owner.

[minstrel]

I bet you'll find that there are significant difference in what people are searching for that divide the "I like it" and the "yawn... not yet" camps.

I'm generally searching for medical-psychiatric-health-research info, or SEO/search engine/tech news -- almost never products and services -- and I find Google much superior. When I've had these debates in the past about Yahoo vs. Google, it has seemed to divide along those lines.

[Las Vegas Homes]

I do agree with you that research material is better on google. For consumer related products though I have found MSN to be better than google and more relevant to date.

I think MSN may have learned something from google and is using the information they have aquired to use and test in their beta. I believe this will help them produce a better search engine than google and hence knock google off the top. I also believe the reason Yahoo hasnt done it is they dont have the R & D funds that google or MSN have. MSN IMHO has a lot more funds to put into R & D than google does and while google has to consentrate on their investors right now, MSN is not a the groud floor with theirs and have more lead way.

[mudnik]

It looks like good things don't last. The ranking of my sites for various keywords are all dropping slowly.. :(