IMO – New MSN Search is NOW LIVE! [Archive]

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Nacho

01-15-2005, 02:24 AM

Danny Sullivan blogged (http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/050111-085200) on 1/11/2005 about “MSN Search Beta To Be More Exposed To The Public”, which was referring to news stated by Oshoma Momoh, General Manager, MSN Search Program Management, in a blog titled “Beta Ramp-Up (http://blogs.msdn.com/msnsearch/archive/2005/01/08/349199.aspx)” on 1/8/2005 that confirms it with the following quote:

“From time to time we also route some of the customers from our live search service at search.msn.com through the Beta web site in order to do scalability testing. Next week we intend to begin turning up the dial and direct more of our users to the Beta. You’ll continue to see us doing this on occasion for the foreseeable future. As before, the service remains in beta status and we will officially launch it when it’s ready.”
The thing I ask is, what do they really mean by “officially launch it”?

Are you waiting for someone (maybe Bill Gates) to cut a ribbon somewhere some day (perhaps as reported in this thread (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=3745) on Feb 1st) and let users rush to the new search engine? Well, I DON’T THINK SO. To me, “officially” launching it just means the press will get word out as an . . . OK, you’re good to go. Tell your readers about it now . . . I think that the real official launch past right through our noses on January 8th when Oshoma told the world first hand that its for real now. How many really paid attention?

I DID!

Here is how, and it wasn’t really because of the blog from the MSN Search team either. It was just from looking at my log files (thanks to my very reliable Urchin Software (http://www.urchin.com)) and spotted something. Quick history, I launched a brand new website on November 10, 2004. Sorry guys/gals can’t give out the domain name (I love you folks, but my shark suit (http://www.ihispanic.com/sewf/shark-suit.jpg) was sent to the dry cleaners). . . . to the point . . . By tracking my search engine traffic I noticed a strong spike from search.msn.com (http://search.msn.com) and thought it was odd because I knew my site was poorly indexed, and confirmed to this date when I do a site:www.domain.com instruction I only get ONE page indexed (my homepage). However, when I do the exact same function on the beta.search.msn.com (http://beta.search.msn.com) I get 16,014 documents returned. So, if there is only ONE document on search.msn.com, then why would I get this traffic and for keywords not available on my homepage but much deeper in the site:

http://www.ihispanic.com/sewf/msn-search-chart.gif

Simple, it’s just a confirmation of the statement from MSN above . . . right? True. However, I believe my traffic from search.msn.com will not back down and rather continue to increase as I’ve seen with the other search engines. Therefore, if someone does cut a ribbon, to tell you the truth . . . I don’t really care. I care about my MSN traffic growing which started moving since 1/10/2005 and I thank the MSN Search team for that!!! Great work guys!

The thing that comes to my mind about all of this, is that will the new MSN Search be better than the other search engines? I don’t know, but I’m sure it has a good shot at it. Right now, I know Google continues to be the best and the following graph proves it. Google crawled my site since day one on 11/10/2004 and started sending me real qualified traffic a little over a week after that. Now with over 110,000 pages indexed, I can’t complain at all. Oh yeah, before I forget to say, that “sandbox effect” . . . is that for real? Cuz, it probably slipped by on the first week.

http://www.ihispanic.com/sewf/my-search-traffic.gif

The day ANY other search engine can do what Google has shown me in the last 2 months, I might change my mind about who the best really is. For now, all I know is that . . .

IMO, the New MSN Search is NOW LIVE!

qwerty

01-15-2005, 09:00 AM

Nacho

01-15-2005, 11:43 AM

As far as I can tell, it's not live for me. I'm not getting the same results on searches at search.msn.com as I am at beta.search.msn.com, and I have to wonder why the search page would still have a link to the beta if the beta had gone alpha.

I'm also not seeing a jump (either up or down) in referrals from MSN in any of the sites I watch.
During the ramp up process, the new MSN Search may or might not be live for you as a user. But for someone out there it is, so you're websites are exposed to those users. Being exposed means the new search engine is LIVE regardless of the volume capacity it's taking. It could just be very possible and a coincidence that the users exposed to it are not the right target market for your keywords and thus you're getting either very minimal volume that is significant enough to notice or no volume at all. As long as it is exposed to live users then it's LIVE for all referring websites that successfully got their pages in the index. If you are one of these, then the only thing you're going to see is your traffic from search.msn.com move in the direction of how you are positioned in the rankings. Better positioning, more traffic, and worse positioning compared to the results provided by the Yahoo! technology the less traffic.

The point is, the way the new MSN search engine was launched was a very carefully studied strategy that is giving them the wiggle room for fixing last minute bugs, but whether it's live at 23% or live at 100% . . . IT'S LIVE!

In my case for this website that was launched in 11/10/2004, it was better positioned on MSN Search (Beta) than on Yahoo!'s powered MSN Search. Therefore my traffic is increasing every more an more, making it live for me since 1/10/2005.

qwerty

01-15-2005, 01:20 PM

Thanks for the clarification. I thought when you said it was live, you meant that it had completely replaced the old index of Yahoo results.

Nacho

01-15-2005, 01:33 PM

For some users it has.

toprank

01-15-2005, 03:36 PM

I'm definitley seeing the new MSN search. Some of it is good, some not so good.

searchengineblog.com

01-15-2005, 04:44 PM

Keep in mind there's been no official word. Results may be temporary.

Nacho

01-15-2005, 10:55 PM

Keep in mind there's been no official word. Results may be temporary.
Oh, but it has been "Official" as noted in original post from MSN Search Team's Blog. Are you talking about the "official" date when someone might cut a ribbon (if that ever does happen) or that News Media releases word to the open public, primarily the users?

Perhaps this graph will help you visualize how I see their strategy of making LIVE the New MSN Search in transition.

http://www.ihispanic.com/sewf/official-msn-search.gif

searchengineblog.com

01-15-2005, 11:00 PM

Much as I'd like to comment, I couldn't possibly (http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2004/10/04/hotshots_the_members_of_the.htm) :)

What I can say is there doesn't appear to be any official word. What you make of that is up to you.

Nacho

01-15-2005, 11:11 PM

Peter, I understand you can't say anything. This is all my perception. Call me crazy if you like, but I share my thoughts and opinions to my friends and colleagues of SEW Forums because who knows, I may be right. :rolleyes:

<added>From all the rumors and statements going around, I just don't believe they will be going LIVE with a flip of a switch on a single day.</added>

searchengineblog.com

01-15-2005, 11:35 PM

Peter, I understand you can't say anything. This is all my perception. Call me crazy if you like, but I share my thoughts and opinions to my friends and colleagues of SEW Forums because who knows, I may be right.

I know, mate :) I don't think you're crazy at all. Wish I could be of more help at this point. I really do.

Dave Hawley

01-16-2005, 05:11 AM

It aint live here is Oz yet. I guess it has always been live for some though.

Marcia

01-16-2005, 05:57 AM

By the time Yahoo officially rolled out their new search, they had already been delivering it to a good number of people for a while. It was IP based; I was getting Yahoo search for a while before the official launch. That could well be what MSN is doing, and would explain why some are seeing the new and some aren't. It was the same thing prior to the full Yahoo release.

qwerty

01-16-2005, 09:04 AM

...I just don't believe they will be going LIVE with a flip of a switch on a single day.
There has to be some point at which the home page of the search no longer links to the beta version, because at that point there won't be a beta anymore... unless they "release" what's currently referred to as the beta only when they're ready to stick the next version into beta ;)

So while there may not be a big announcement (although I expect there will be), I'd say that there will be a point where we can say that the currently beta version will become the current release.

rustybrick

01-16-2005, 09:55 AM

MSN has been far more open about what they plan to roll out then Google or Yahoo. MSN told us that we should begin seeing more of a roll out of the beta results in the main msn search. Would Google or Yahoo ever (in the past, in the future) do that? I doubt it.

I think that if MSN Search switched completely over, they would have told us. :) My two cents.

Lex

01-16-2005, 12:21 PM

IMO, the New MSN Search is NOW LIVE!
but whether it's live at 23% or live at 100% . . . IT'S LIVE!
[I see their strategy of making LIVE the New MSN Search
Nacho, I think you're channeling Dr. Frankenstien. ;)

In terms of being a user, it's been playing peek-a-boo with me.

As for referrals, I'm seeing bumps and spikes on certain client sites.

Nacho

01-16-2005, 01:35 PM

Nacho, I think you're channeling Dr. Frankenstien. ;)
Hello, my name is Nacho Hernandez and I'm a searchengineholic. :p

Just kidding! :D I love this business!

DrBob12

01-16-2005, 01:36 PM

Arizona Web

01-16-2005, 11:01 PM

Hey guys, great thread here, I hope you can help me. I just discovered that that the MSN Beta Search took over the regular MSN search which I had a #1 ranking on and now with the Beta as the main search I have dropped to #14. What is the criteria for getting top ranking in the new Search engine. Thanks in advance for your help.

For Keywords that is!!

Dr. Bob!The same methods I have been using for Gogle and Yahoo kick butt in the new MSN. Both on-page and off-page optimization are important. Anchor text links, good page and site structure, links from authority sites, etc. should get you ranked well in the new MSN.

I gotta say I am loving it so far, and I really like the new clean look a lot more too. :)

DrBob12

01-17-2005, 02:16 AM

Thanks for the info, I am pretty new at this SEO stuff, but I am getting better with each passing day. I'll just work on my site structure and pretend like it's Google, which I am not doing too good at right now, but I am okay for key words on Yahoo. Thanks for the help.

Dr. Bob!

DrBob12

01-17-2005, 02:22 AM

nuthin

01-17-2005, 02:31 AM

all i can say is i'm glad ninemsn.com.au is popular in aus.
there filtering technique is quite nice.
a collegue next to me is getting the new "beta" version whilst i am still getting redirected to the older yahoo mixed listings.
as for the msn.com results well..
can-somebody-say-give-me-keyword-here.html no relevance in alot of searchers i conducted :D
i'm sure they will get better though.
im liking ninemsn's filtering, they have always been good though so it's nothing really that new. :)

DrBob12

01-17-2005, 02:49 AM

Nuthin,

Thanks for your input, like I said," I can use all the help I can get!"

Dr. Bob!

Phoenix

01-17-2005, 04:11 PM

So thats where all the extra traffic has been coming from! ;) Nice post Nacho!

paulhiles

01-18-2005, 07:07 AM

I'm seeing the results from the "beta search" now appearing under the regular MSN search site (http://search.msn.com/). Very favourable results for my own choice of keywords. Gets a big thumbs up from me!

Paul

Dave Hawley

01-18-2005, 07:34 AM

Same in Oz at the moment.

qwerty

01-18-2005, 08:03 AM

Still seeing the old version here in Boston...

So for those of you who are getting the new results on the main URL, are you seeing the interface we've been seeing for the beta on the main search page? Are you seeing the old page but getting the same results as you do with the beta? Is there still a link to the beta?

paulhiles

01-18-2005, 08:09 AM

for those of you who are getting the new results on the main URL, are you seeing the interface we've been seeing for the beta on the main search page?
Pretty much yeah! There's a small MSN graphic to the right with "(beta)" underneath.. but the URL is definitely the regular MSN Search

Paul

Buddha

01-18-2005, 04:57 PM

I see new live results as of today in CA.

bwelford

01-18-2005, 05:38 PM

Here in Canada, we currently seem to get the new, but still beta, search appearing for the regular search. Buried within the Help pages, you will find:
Our new state-of-the-art search engine features Microsoft technology built from the ground up to bring you the best of the Web and more.

MakeMeTop

01-19-2005, 06:09 AM

Beta search results from MSN UK were showing briefly this morning for an hour - now seem to be back to Yahoo powered results. But it looks like the UK will roll out their regional version of search very soon.

Mike

01-19-2005, 12:15 PM

personally I consider it fully live when it's showing for all users on a permanent basis... anything other than that is what I consider testing.... live testing, but still testing

strategicrankings

01-19-2005, 12:37 PM

I'm now seeing the beta results both through the regular search.msn.com and through the toolbar. so its live for me and i'm getting fantastic results for my own target keyword set. :)

Excited to see how the 1st Feb roll out will bring some great leads and conversion.

BrentRumble

01-19-2005, 02:54 PM

I'm getting the beta site regardless of URL http://search.msn.com/ or http://beta.search.msn.com/ here in Dallas, TX! Great results for our site as well!

Regards,
Brent Yager

ohioadman

01-19-2005, 03:19 PM

Though now we have 3 different results, at least in my case! My saturation level has gone way up with the new MSN, though my placement has changed on many keywords.

I now get 3 different results on the MSN, YAHOO, GOOGLE - Of course I expect some modifications on the results as the beta version advances. Does anyone think that results will adapt as time goes on or the algorithym is tweaked?

:)

Nacho

01-20-2005, 11:05 AM

I continue to see more traffic. The only way this baby is going is . . . UP!

http://www.ihispanic.com/sewf/msn-search-chart2.gif

Keep making it LIVE MSN, go ahead and let it all out :)

SpeedyPin

01-20-2005, 03:51 PM

We have been seeing at least partial New MSN results as of January 17. The good news for now is that we are dominating our most coveted keywords. :D

SpeedyPin

01-20-2005, 04:47 PM

No advertisements? I'm seeing Overture PPC still.

rcjordan

01-20-2005, 04:58 PM

MSN opened the floodgates on one of my general interest sites about 2 days ago (the AOL-ish, ummmm, consumer-level email requests were the first tip-off, but I didn't put things together right away).

Then I saw a post yesterday afternoon that prompted me to dust off the tracking software:
http://www.seo-scoop.com/direct_link.cfm?thepost=254

For you old-timers, I just told Boser that my logs look like SNAP is back. Boys, we've got a gusher.

yoohoo

01-21-2005, 08:27 AM

I operate a site that is Number#1 on the msn beta search in a VERY competitive industry. Just the one Keyword is searched for, according to Overture, 57,000 times a month. Well.... I noticed that just one day this week I received about 20 hits from MSN beta search and nothing since. So I am assuming that nobody is seeing the beta. If they are then no one is clicking on my site. (YIKES) :eek:

iamrussell

01-21-2005, 09:20 AM

Just the one Keyword is searched for, according to Overture, 57,000 times a month.

That tool doesn't work. Try this one:
http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/

rcjordan

01-21-2005, 01:25 PM

Why isn't there more dancing in the street over MSN? Surely there are others out there who nailed it?

AussieWebmaster

01-21-2005, 04:10 PM

Why isn't there more dancing in the street over MSN? Surely there are others out there who nailed it? Nailled it... the key to MSN appears to be spam... in my industry it has had a huge diet of the pink meat.
The results really need to get more accurate and the fact that there are individual listings for .com, .info, .net for the same site and even a few 1domain-name.com types as well... the have a huge love of Domain names, and URL names get a push in there also.

reggy73

01-22-2005, 05:17 AM

What industry are you in Aussie?

AussieWebmaster

01-23-2005, 02:14 PM

What industry are you in Aussie?Currency trading - financial industry that seems to have a high number of cloakers and spammers - as there is a large number of people in the industry who are not regulated by any country and operate very off shore for all types of reasons.
Meanwhile we are registered in every country we operate in where registration is available though not necessarily mandatory. Makes it a little tough, but a better understanding of solid SEO and SEM keeps me well ahead of the curve.

qwerty

01-24-2005, 09:34 AM

This is a bit odd. I'm seeing the results from the beta if I search from msn.com, but I've never accessed msn search from there in the past. I've always gone directly to search.msn.com, and I'm still seeing the old results if I search from there.

If they've rolled out the new search on their home page, why is the old version still there on the home page of the search subdomain?

MakeMeTop

01-24-2005, 09:42 AM

Why isn't there more dancing in the street over MSN?

I wore out a pair dancing around the pub for the last week :)

Nacho

01-25-2005, 07:10 PM

WOW, I noticed that the New MSN Search (beta) is doing some very wierd things when moving back and forth between English and Spanish results. I opened up a thread to talk about this in more depth:

http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=3878

See you there ;)

Nacho

01-28-2005, 02:43 AM

Why would MSNDude start a new thread titled, "MSN Search Hits Full Time Almost 100% of the Time now - out of beta"?

http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum97/336.htm

Is he trying to tell us something or just my imagination?

dannysullivan

01-28-2005, 05:21 AM

Nacho, I'm pretty sure he didn't start that thread with that title. Instead, you'll see it says "Continued from" at the top. It was split off from another thread. So MSNdude isn't saying that's the case the way I read it -- instead, he's commenting on a question of robots.txt support.

Having said that, the way I see things, MSN Search has shifted over to the new technology all but with the official announcement. MSN has told (http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/050121-104637) me that when it is officially shifted, we'll see the beta name go away. When will that happen? I think the Feb. 1 date that we heard (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=3745) right here in the forums is still the best bet. But that's for the official heads-up. Unofficially, it seems like everyone is seeing the new results there.

Nacho

02-01-2005, 02:25 AM

It's Official - MSN Search Launches! (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?threadid=3971)

MSN Search releases official news to the public about its launch nearly two years after announcing it would develop its own search technology. Here is a roundup of articles from the press and area for Members to discuss the news that makes search engine history:

http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?threadid=3971

- - THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED - -