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January 21, 2006

Search engines

If you want to see a graphic illustration of why Microsoft is way behind Google, consider this:

I got a visitor yesterday through an MSN search for john kerry is an idiot. Nothing unusual about that; I get visitors through searches for "[someone] is an idiot" all the time. It's what happens when your blog is called Pillage Idiot.

I decided to click on the link to the referring search on MSN (john kerry is an idiot) -- and look at what's at the top of the search list: John Kerry's bio page on his Senate web site. Now, we can all make a bunch of cheap jokes at Kerry's expense, and far be it from me to stop you from joining the merriment, but what this says to me is that MSN sucks major eggs as a search engine. Take a look at the contrast with Google, on which I've run the same search: Frontpage Magazine is the top result.

Now, maybe Google could have done a better job, but it certainly put MSN to shame. Can you imagine what should be at the top if you were searching on MSN for "Bill Gates is an idiot"?

UPDATE: I know what the answer to my question is; I've tried it. The point was rhetorical.