SEO for Microsoft Live Search (MSN) - Optimizing for Microsoft Live Search
(Page 2 of 4 )
Keywords in the Domain Name
Microsoft places a LOT of emphasis on domain matching. As you use their search you’ll find that the top results are usually domain names that match the keywords, even with bad link profiles and mediocre content. Having keywords in the domain name is one of the key factors to ranking well on MSN (especially for a direct match).
Live Search Link Analysis
Microsoft came late to the search engine game, and their link analysis algorithms are much more primitive than Google's and Yahoo's. Both Google and Yahoo have been in the search business since the 90s, giving them a good view of old, quality links to better sort search results.
Microsoft, on the other hand, came to search when the web was already heavily commercialized and full of spam, making quality link detection from scratch more challenging. To this day Microsoft is very weak at determining quality links, which is one the biggest reasons their search results suck.
Directory Links
One can get good Live Search rankings by getting a big batch of cheap, anchor- rich directory links. The down side is that doing this can hurt your Google rankings, which are more important at the moment. In most cases you rank on Live Search first, then Yahoo and only then on Google, with Live being the easiest to rank for.
Quality of Links
Microsoft does not see much difference between quality editorial links and pure page rank spam. Though their search has improved since 2004, it’s still one of their biggest challenges. Their search technology is comparable to Google's from several years back, before “Florida” and the “Big Daddy” Updates.
On Site and On Page Factors
Microsoft algorithms place much less value on domain authority than other search engines. Keywords in titles, H tags and content work really well. For example, you'll do well with “city + keywords” in title.
You can get good rankings on Microsoft with basic SEO practices, like aligning your <titles> with keywords, plugging keywords into <H> tags, doing SEO copy writing, directing internal page rank to your most important pages and getting a bunch of directory listings. You will notice that before appearing on Google and/or Yahoo you’ll appear on Live search for some terms. You can use a free rank checker to monitor your progress.
Next: Evolving Search Results >>
More MSN Optimization Articles
More By Ivan Strouchliak
/ 7 
