Microsoft still paying people to search
Microsoft's latest effort to get people to use its search service is something called SearchPerks, which gives people points for using the search engine that can later be redeemed for prizes. — Users who agree to download a small program to track …
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft had already explored cash incentives for search users in May 2008, while earlier coverage had examined MSN’s incentivized-search model. SearchPerks extends that acquisition approach by tying tracked use of Microsoft’s search service to redeemable points.
The program also arrives as Yusuf Mehdi assumes broader responsibility for MSN and search marketing, giving Microsoft’s online organization a concrete mechanism for attracting and measuring participating users.
First-order effects
- Microsoft offers SearchPerks participants redeemable points in exchange for using its search engine and installing software that tracks that use.
- Users who enroll receive prizes as an incentive to direct more searches through Microsoft’s service.
Second-order effects
- Mehdi’s expanded MSN and search team gains a measurable user-acquisition tool, rather than relying solely on conventional product marketing to increase search activity.
- Microsoft’s repeated use of cash and rewards makes sustained incentives part of the cost of pursuing search audience growth, not a one-off promotion.
Third-order effects
- If this model persists, search competition may increasingly distinguish between traffic bought through rewards and usage won through product preference, complicating how Microsoft evaluates audience growth.
- The pattern points toward loyalty mechanics becoming a recurring distribution layer for search services, with tracking and rewards bundled into user acquisition.
The trend: Microsoft is treating search share as an audience-acquisition problem that can be addressed through direct economic incentives and measurable loyalty programs.