I have been saying for a long time that Live.com (aka MSN.com) is the site to SEO and not Google. Everyone is out there trying to get the highest Google ranking whilst forgetting a couple things.
#1. Microsoft is a much more mature (older if you will) company than Google and has proven themselves in many different arenas then just in the search engine department. As a side-note, I wonder how many die-hard Linux Geeks own an X-Box.
#2. The way Microsoft came of age was ripping off someone else\'s idea, and they have done this many times. First they ripped off IBM\'s DOS programming language (MS-DOS), then they ripped off Amiga and Macintosh\'s GUI (Graphical User Interface), and there are many other instances...
#3. Microsoft has more money, more power, more bully to do whatever they want to do... and that is EXACTLY what they ARE going to do. Is it even possible they would even BUY Google, Altavista, ASK, Looksmart, etc... not inconceivable in my mind.
#4. Look at the latest thing that Microsoft has successfully pulled off... that being being the sole leader in the console gaming market. From what I hear they have lost millions of dollars selling their X-Boxes to push Nintendo and Sega out of the way and it looks like it is working. We will have to wait until THIS Christmas to see how sucessful they have really been here.

I am currently ranked #1 in MSN for my search category (first names) and #2 in Google. I would MUCH rather hold onto that #1 ranking in MSN then to have my ranking in Google slip.

As for the Alexa slippage... this phenomenon is much like what I am an expert at... people\'s names.

The name Mary has always been one of the top female names, and in some parts of the US is still the #1 name. However, if one delves deeper into the NUMBER or PERCENTAGE of girls named Mary, one will find that even where it still holds the top spot, there is much less of a spread between #1 and #2. Why? There are more names being used today then ever before.

Just as there are more first names then ever before, there are more places to find information on the internet and internet users are becoming more savvy then ever. Sites like Wikipedia and other free sites, as well as Blog sites have eaten into the Portal/Search Engine arena.
Another eroding factor is MySpace... a trend/fad or a phenom is yet to be determined. As Google, MSN, and Yahoo downtick in Reach and Pageview, Wikipedia and MySpace are on a significant uptick... especially Wikipedia.

It still looks like the business model of \'keep it accurate but keep it free\' is still alive on the internet today and I for one am glad to see it. I only wonder if 20 years from now if we are going to be not going on the Internet but the MicroNet/LiveNet/whatever silly term Microsoft can come up with... God help us all if that happens:eek: .

Appx. Stock Prices (3mos)

Yahoo (YHOO) $30 - $29 (with a strong rally) 40.18 Billion Market Cap.
Google (GOOG) $385 - $391 (with a strong rally) 119.28 Billion Market Cap.
Microsoft (MSFT)  $22 - 26 (with steady upswing) 258.52 Billion Market Cap.

Microsoft vs. Google -- Microsoft way outperforms

Microsoft vs. Yahoo -- Microsoft again way outperforms

Numbers don\'t lie... it is time for SEOs to wake up and see what is happening and start coding and optimizing for the future of the internet (Live.com) and less to Yahoo and Google. Microsoft may have gotten a late jump on the internet revolution (a REALLY late jump) but do not underestimate their power to completely change and revolutionize the Internet as a whole.