The MSN Search Engine derives its primary database from Inktomi.
The MSN directory of websites is built from the Looksmart directory.
It displays sponsored ads from Overture and other MSN advertising
partners.
The usefulness of Microsoft's search engine is greatly reduced
due to the way sponsored websites are listed. Featured sites
and sponsored listings in many cases outweigh authentic "matched
results", and these results are placed above normal search
results.
Microsoft, while it does utilize its own ranking algorithm,
does not keep an archived copy of any web pages for calculations.
This significantly reduces its ability to determine relevancy
and thus provide quality results. It relies heavily on the title,
descriptions, meta tags, and link popularity as determined by
its search partners.
Furthermore, MSN does not utilize its own web crawler, choosing
instead to rely on Inktomi, paid inclusion partners ( including
advertising ), and the Looksmart directory to populate its index.
This reduces the ability of MSN to deliver quality content.
At this time, the success of the MSN search system is completely
dependent on Microsoft's market penetration with its family
of products, including the MSN network of websites, its operating
systems, and strong partnerships ( such as with NBC Network
News ). Users utilize the MSN search engine as either a matter
of convenience or ignorance, not because of the quality search
results it delivers.
Introducing the Microsoft Prototype Crawler
- 131.107.163.?
