Coming for that number one spot?
“Scheme, scheme, plot, plot, I’m coming for that number one spot”- Is Microsoft as smooth as Ludacris? If you read the industry trades then you probably already know that Microsoft announced yesterday that it will begin rewarding searchers who use LiveSearch to find and buy products online (search>find>buy> get paid). Once a searcher sets up a LiveSearch Cashback account, this loyalty program literally pays searchers back via paypal or mail. In a previous post highlighting Google’s increase in US search market share, I included the Hitwise table illustrating Microsoft’s long held third place ranking. LiveSearch Cashback is an interesting way to try to convert searchers and increase market share but is it the correct value exchange? What about the user experience? Well, Microsoft has plans to improve the search experience by capturing task based search behavior during the purchase process and delivering an improved experience using “intelligence tools”. So the will it work? Does number three ever really climb up to number one? In 2006, Ludacris “number one spot” was nominated for a Grammy in the category of best rap solo performance but he lost to Kanye West “Gold Digger“. Is that a sign? lol