MSN Search

Why two ways to search with two sets of results?

[lawman]

You can do a search from the MSN home page and get one set of results. I just discovered that you can also do a search at [search.msn.com...] and get the same set of results except that GoTo paid listings are listed above the directory listings. Why the difference?

Lawman

[bobriggs]

spbasic results are the Microsoft IE search box results (the search window that opens in a frame on the left side of the browser)

One bad thing about spbasic results: If a user searches for 'keyword1 keyword2' and gets results, then later searches on 'keyword3 keyword4' with the same search box window and subsequently reaches your site on the later search, your referer log will show that the user searched for 'keyword1 keyword2' to reach your site.

[lawman]

Thanks bobriggs. I guess now everybody knows I never use the IE search box.

Lawman

[jeremy goodrich]

I wonder how many people use that search box? For a while, it seems it was powered by some other company. Can't remember the name, though. Anyone?

[bobriggs]

You can customize it. The default is MSN.

Others listed are Yahoo, Lycos, AV, Euroseek, LookSmart, Excite, AOL, GoTo...

About 1/4 of my referrals from MSN come from that spbasic thingy...

[lawman]

Anyone know why the MSN spbasic thingy contains goto paid listings while a search from the MSN home page does not.

Lawman

[bobriggs]

Interesting, I never noticed that. So I searched on something that would give a wide variety 'free mp3'. You're right! I got 3 sponsored links from both search.msn.com and thingy.msn.com, and then on the msn site a link to the direct hit results, but on the spbasic 4 goto results, and then finally the 'web directory' sites on both (I guess that's looksmart)

spbasic must be a moneymaker. Wonder how much MS makes on that?

[Winooski]

lawman, see [webmasterworld.com...] for an answer to your question.