By hiring former Yahoo search and advertising vice president Qi Lu last week, Microsoft added a man who plans to use his 10  years of experience at Yahoo to invigorate the Redmond, Washington-based company's search engine Live Search as Microsoft attempts to battle search leader Google, according to Lu's first public comments with his new employer. Microsoft will look to make Live Search do a better job of understanding the intent of the people who use the third most popular search engine, Lu, 47, the Redmond firm's new online services group president said Wednesday. Key Member Of Yahoo Search Sets Sights On Live Search With more information about why Live Search users are querying Microsoft's search engine, the company will be able to provide a better search experience, Lu said. "The more we understand user intent, the more we can present better search results and an overall search experience that is dramatically improved from where we are today, whether it's through better completion of a particular task or the discovery of very useful and interesting information," Lu said in a question and answer session conducted and published on Wednesday by Microsoft. After joining Yahoo in 1998 Lu became involved in the early search efforts the Sunnyvale, California-based company started in 2002, which continued when Yahoo launched its first independent search engine service that didn't rely on results from Google or Inktomi two years later. While at Yahoo Lu took part in such initiatives as the Panama advertising system, Yahoo Answers, Yahoo Maps, Yahoo Local, My Web, and helped the pioneering Web company during its acquisitions of photo-sharing Web site Flickr and social media site Del.icio.us, a track record Microsoft chief executive Steven Ballmer found impressive enough to recruit Lu beginning in September. "Steve and I first met last September, in a hotel in San Jose, California," Lu said in the Microsoft interview. "We spent almost half a day talking. We talked about the competitive landscape, about the possibility to really innovate and take the user experience to the next level, and about creating a more competitive space, particularly in the search space," Lu said. Microsoft "Here To Win" Search Race With Google When Lu, who has been known by former co-workers as an energetic and inventive worker according to published reports, takes over his new position on January 5, he will have his work cut out for himself as Microsoft tries to increase the 8.5 percent share of the United States search market and better compete against Google, which during October held a 63.1 percent share according to data from Web traffic analysis firm comScore. Lu, who left Yahoo four months ago, said that he doesn't fear the challenge, however, despite moving to Microsoft  from a Yahoo that commanded 20.5 percent, or more than twice, the search engine audience in the U.S. during October. "They [Google] are definitely ahead in the search space," Lu noted of the company he called "very, very powerful." "There are a lot of challenges ahead. We've got our work cut out for us," said Lu, who said that his new employer Microsoft was not ready to concede the search battle to Google. "We're here to win, and my view on this is that to win in the search space, fundamentally you build on the strengths of your product," said Lu, who brings to Microsoft a history that has included some 39 U.S. patents. Along with working to learn more about what users are searching for with Live Search, Microsoft can improve by taking advantage of the increased amount of social media content being produced on the Web, Lu said. "If we're able to understand user intent better, and combine that with the richer content available out there, we will be able to produce a very engaging search experience," Lu noted. "There is more and more rich and fresh content, and more engaging social content. So, there is a lot more material to work with," Lu added. Microsoft Seeks Live Search Boost From Former Yahoo Search Leader Qi Lu Building a more powerful online advertising program was also on Lu's agenda for Microsoft. "I think there is a genuine opportunity to take our search products to the next level," Lu said. "I'm confident that we will be in a position to produce a differentiated and compelling search experience," he added. At Microsoft Lu, who before joining Yahoo worked at IBM’s Almaden Research Center, hopes to have a big impact on Live Search. "I cannot think of a better platform to have an impact than this position at Microsoft," said Lu. Efforts over the past year at the world's largest software maker to increase market share for its search engine have included a program called Live Search Cashback that rewards consumers who use its search engine to purchase certain merchandise from a group of more than 700 participating merchants, and agreements with HP and Dell to place a Microsoft search toolbar on computers sold by the manufacturers. Lu, who got his first introduction to some 700 Microsoft employees on Monday, said that his new employer's commitment to fund research and development helped draw him to the firm, and that such R&D backing would play an important role in building a stronger competitor to Google. "Strong commitment to invest in R&D resources is very, very important to me," Lu said. Related Links :
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