Microsoft is set to launch an online advertising program this week. The new search products are designed to challenge search engine giant Google, which has dominated paid for placement advertisng over the past few years.
The MSN adCenter’s first product will be paid search, advertising listings that show up with a search query’s results. It may not be available in Australia for about six months after testing is coimpleted in France.
Microsoft is after a slice of the paid search market, which is expected to grow into a $3.2-billion industry in 2005, up from $2.6 billion in 2004 (Jupiter Research). Juniper also believe it will reach the USD $5 billion mark by 2008.
