In an effort to draw business away from Google, Microsoft announced plans to share some of its online advertising revenue with consumers who use its Internet search engine. As described by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates in a presentation in India, users of MSN Search would get some of the site’s advertising revenue back in the form of money or free content and software, according to The Wall Street Journal. The more users a site has, typically the more advertising revenue it can generate.
However, paying consumers to use search engines could create significant headaches. Individuals could start visiting the search site solely for payment, without any real interest in searching or viewing the ads presented alongside search results, defeating the goal of helping advertisers.
–Alison Bass
