The internet is a dynamic environment and, with the development of new search technologies, search engine optimization techniques are also expected to follow suit. Many are focused on the changes happening to search engine giants that they fail to notice that even the underdogs are going through their own share of innovative improvements.

Microsoft may not enjoy the largest share of the search industry but this gives it an advantage that the more influential Google doesn’t have. As Microsoft Corporation CEO Steve Ballmer puts it, the company has “more room for trying new things” while Google has to be more cautious about changes. In an interview, he says, “Google does have to be all things to all people. Our search does not need to be all things to all people.” Google behaves as Microsoft would for its Windows. They cannot enforce a lot of radical changes because they have to cater to the masses.

Microsoft is currently working on new ways to present search results, says Ballmer. But since it decided to stop using Yahoo!’s search technology, Microsoft’s share in the search market has decreased. Ballmer says that the company is not necessarily aiming for the largest piece of the search cake in one fell swoop. There is still a lot of time, after all.

And having a lot of time on one’s hands does pose benefits. Once it was called Microsoft Search. Then it became MSN Search, Live Search and, more recently, Windows Live. Microsoft has just come up with a new search product – Kumo. The company relaunched its search product under this beta name. The test program is currently available only to Microsoft employees. It is still expected that Microsoft will release the program to the general public and keep search engine optimization experts on their toes trying to keep up with this new search brand.

So what makes Kumo different? It’s in the product’s refine search features. The program, it appears, is “aimed more towards user intent.” Microsoft seeks to reduce search time by providing users with options to streamline their search and trim their options down to the most relevant to their search objectives. For instance, searching for “Taylor Swift” will give you a list of refined links on the left hand panel. These links can include everything that has to do with her – songs, biography, lyrics, albums, etc.

So where does search engine optimization fit in? For starters, techniques have to be improved yet again to cater to this new search tool. While Microsoft’s search product may not enjoy the major market share, it still has a considerable number of users on it – particularly those who are subscribed to the company’s other internet-based services. They will still have to factor in if a business wants to be more visible to its targeted consumers. And if Microsoft’s upcoming search product becomes promising enough, who knows what Google would do to make sure it maintains the lion’s share of the market?

Here at Blackwood Productions, we strive to stay on top of industry developments to make sure that our search engine optimization strategies are still effective in getting client websites top placements in major search engines, including Microsoft’s search program. For inquiries, contact us through this website today.