"Silverlight" is first result for "Firefox" search

In Windows Live & MSN search

[Leva]

This is new -- I took a screenprint in case it changes, but if you search for "Firefox" at live.com, or msn.com, the first result is a FAQ for Silverlight, a Microsoft project.

Umm.

I can't believe that Silverlight outranks Mozilla.com for a search for "Firefox." On Yahoo and Google, Silverlight isn't mentioned in the first several pages.

The conclusion is obvious here, and bothers me a good bit -- if Microsoft is weighting search engine results in their favor, isn't that an unfair trade advantage? Better question is, is it legal?

Alternately, can anyone give me a good reason why Silverlight would outrank the Firefox browser for a keyword "Firefox" search?

[encyclo]

No idea, but when I search for "Firefox" at live.com, I get Mozilla official sites in eight places, the obligatory Wikipedia and one site unrelated to the browser. I would suspect something like geo-targetting or personalized results (if you're logged in to MSN or haven't cleared your cookies).

[Leva]

I get the same result from multiple different PCS, so it's not a cookie, at any rate.

[Achernar]

Same here. Two silverlight links in the top 2 slots. And no mention of the word "firefox" on these pages.
Wikipedia is third and mozilla is fourth.

And 3 sponsored sites:

Download Firefox 08 (sic) Free
(Get the Brand New Firefox 2008. Fast Download - 100% Guaranteed)
Download Firefox Free
(Firefox Latest Version Download Free)
Download Firefox 2
(Download Mozilla Firefox 2 with Google Toolbar.)

All from domains I wouldn't trust.

[edited by: Achernar at 12:57 pm (utc) on Sep. 21, 2007]

[LunaC]

I'm seeing it to. Very strange, but maybe I'm missing something obvious but what would MS gain from this really? My guess is that it's just another example of their rather hmm.. sketchy(?) algo.

I'm not logged in since I never use MSN or hotmail, and I'm seeing it from Canada if that makes any difference.

[Leva]

I'm trying to figure out any legitimate reason why "Silverlight" would show up as the first result ahead of Mozilla.com and I'm coming up blank. Particularly since "Silverlight" doesn't appear anywhere in the top thirty or forty results on any non-Microsoft search engine that I checked.

However, it does occur to me that they're probably getting an awful lot of clicks from people looking for Mozilla and finding out about Silverlight, instead.

*shrug* Might be nothing, but then again, this is Microsoft we're talking about.

I just thought it was interesting.

[Xapti]

I live in Winnipeg, Canada, and all my results were like the others', all strongly firefox related, and all official (plus one result for portable firefox) aside from the sponsored results, like firefox2007.com

[penders]

I live in the UK and like encylco and Xapti (I think) I only get true Firefox links - no mention of Silverlight. I don't get the 'Wikipedia' link as encyclo mentions. Quite possible the search is dependant on where we are in the world.

(Although I've just noticed that the last post was over 10 days ago, oops)