Instead of including paid listings within search results, which critics say results in misleading search results, MSN said it will display paid listings separately at the top and to the right of search results generated by its search engine.
MSN will list three paid listings at the top of every search result, of which at least two will be advertisements sold directly by MSN.
Currently, Microsoft's paid listings are sold through an intermediary called Overture Services, which became a subsidiary of Internet media and portal company Yahoo Inc.
MSN said that it would continue to work with Overture to bring in paid listings, although it has clearly shifted away from relying on such providers.
In January, Microsoft ended its relationship with another paid listing company, LookSmart, and last September said its relationship with Overture would eventually change, but remain intact for the medium-term.
Just over a year ago, Microsoft's executives sat down at its Redmond, Washington, headquarters and decided to build their own search technology that would challenge Google's ability to sift through the Web and return results relevant enough to make it the Web's top search provider.
Redetzki said MSN was making steady progress and that July's launch will reflect results driven by a revamped search engine with better algorithms, the underlying logic involved in sifting through information.
"We're much farther along in relevancy," Redetzki said
posted by Jen @ 8:01 AM
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