Microsoft want a larger share of the £22bn Search Marketplace, but will there new search engine “Kumo” be the right contender to take on heavy weight Google?

Billed as a Google killer, Microsoft’s Live search never managed to live up to the hype surrounding its launch, although live was an improvement on its predecessor, the search engine did not entice search engine users to give up the ever popular Google. Google’s simple to use interface and relevant results have made it the first choice for the majority of search engine users.

Google is updated as part of an ongoing “rolling” development program, adapting with the changing search environment. This has resulted in a constant improvement of service, the addition of new functionality and an increase in user loyalty and trust. Can Microsoft break the bond between Google and its users?

Code named “Kumo”, Microsoft’s new search engine is set to be demonstrated for the first time at a technology conference in California next week. The new search engine has been designed to replace Live Search and has undergone months of secret testing.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s Chief Executive, has made the new search engine his key focus on developing the company’s growth during the economic downturn. Mr Ballmer will launch “Kumo “ during a speech at a Wall Street Journal sponsored conference according to the companies “All things Digital” blog. At this time Microsoft have refused to comment about the possible launch.

“Kumo” is the Japanese word for spider which appears to be a reference to the search engines new crawling software. It’s believed that the search engine will group and categorise search engine results to provide shorter more relevant groups of information to the search user. This does sound very similar to Google’s new refined search options which were launched last week, but it’s believed that Microsoft has taken this one stage further allowing information to be grouped and filtered by subject specific categories. This is of course pure speculation and until the launch of “Kumo” next week we will not be able to see the full extent of the technology.

One thing we can be certain of is Google’s ability to adapt, develop and improve its search engine results. If Microsoft launches something new, it won’t be long before Google has improved the technology and integrated it into its search. The SEO community is waiting to see just what happens.