Microsoft hires Steve Berkowitz

The Search Engine Professionals at Rank for $ales.com --- In business since 1997.

Search this site Join the SEO Help Forum

Microsoft hires Steve Berkowitz

April 24, 2006

Get the most dependable Linux or Windows Web hosting at the lowest cost. Domain names at only 99 cents for a whole year! Click here to learn more.

Microsoft announces it has hired former Ask.com CEO Steve Berkowitz to head it’s Online Business Group (OBG).

The newly formed Microsoft Online Business Group will include MSN.com, MSN AdCenter MSNTV and Windows Live.

Under Berkowitz’s leadership Ask Jeeves rebranded and restructured its search engine into Ask.com, was acquired by IAC, and has repositioned itself into the respected information and usability driven engine that it is today.

In addition Ask.com (or IAC Search & Media) revenue more than tripled while Berkowitz was manning the bridge. Goes to show that less ads can equal higher revenues under the right monetization plan.

According to Microsoft, Berkowitz “will be responsible for running the Online Business group, which includes include MSN.com, MSNTV and MSN Internet Access programming, advertising sales, business development, and marketing for Live Platforms, MSN and Windows Live.

This team’s mission is to deliver world-class go to market leadership, that wins customers to our services and builds a world leading advertising business. The responsibility for the monetization of our Live Platform, MSN and Windows Live assets is owned by this team, and includes end-to-end management of the online P&L.”

As CEO, Steve Berkowitz is responsible for all business related to IAC Search & Media (formerly Ask Jeeves, Inc.).

In his previous role as president of Ask.com, Berkowitz is credited with building the management team that orchestrated the turn around of Ask.com, today the second largest pure search site on the Internet.

In September 2001, he made the critical decision to acquire Teoma Technologies and integrate their unique approach to Web-wide search into Ask.com. He also oversaw Ask.com’s redesign, which improved ease-of-use and removed pop-ups and banner ads from the site in favor of a more contextually relevant search experience. As a result, user satisfaction has grown steadily since 2002, and the Company has more than tripled its revenue since Berkowitz came on board.

And if you want to know a bit more about Berkowitz than Microsoft and IAC are willing to share, The Mercury News has a rundown of Five Things to Know About Steve Berkowitz:

1. He once worked as a groundskeeper at a cemetery
2. A believer in public transport, he moved Ask to downtown Oakland
3. He is a data hog who devours printouts like they are mystery novels
4. In high school, he was suggested he go to vocational school instead of college
5. Berkowitz believes that a bad day of golf is better than a good day at work

Wish I had archives of the search results pages because those are where one can really see the positive effect of Steve’s time as CEO at Ask.com / Ask Jeeves.

Microsoft now has a fine and proven leader at the head of their Online Business Group, which in my opinion shold be enough to cause a ripple in Google & Yahoo’s search armor.

Question is, now who’s going to fill Steve’s position at Ask.com/IAC Search?

Source: Search Engine Journal

Increase your site traffic with a paid inclusion program

Read Serge Thibodeau's daily blogs on search engines at Serge Thibodeau Live. We strongly suggest you bookmark our web site by clicking here.

Get your business or company listed in the Global Business Listing directory and increase your business. It takes less then 24 hours to get a premium listing in the most powerful business search engine there is. Click here to find out all about it.

Rank for $ales strongly recommends the use of WordTracker to effectively identify all your right industry keywords. Accurate identification of the right keywords and key phrases used in your industry is the first basic step in any serious search engine optimization program. Click here to start your keyword and key phrase research.

You can link to the Rank for Sales web site as much as you like. Read our section on how your company can participate in our reciprocal link exchange program and increase your rankings in all the major search engines such as Google, AltaVista, Yahoo and all the others.

Sponsered by Link Rent Sponsored by Avantex Traffic stats by Site Clicks™

Site design by Mtl. Web D. Sponsored by Press Broadcast Sponsored by Blog Hosting.ca