MSN positions different from Looksmart

[3rd eye]

My site is position 5 for my main keyword in Looksmart, however the site is only position 30 in MSN. It has been like this for some time now, has MSN just not updated their positions recently. I read some where that MSN uses different algorithms to Looksmart but it can be this different, this is ridiculous.
My site was about no.30 in Looksmart for the keyword about 4 months ago, so maybe MSN hasn't updated themselves yet.
Does anyone have any other ideas?

[Advisor]

MSN has their own editorial policy and they have many sites often listed first that they handpicked. That could be what you're seeing.

We've discussed their algorithm in some other threads, if I remember correctly. You might want to do a quick search for MSN Rankings or something like that.

Good luck!

Jill

[ihelpyou]

Yes, it's rare that ranks will be the same at both places but does happen. MSN does rank differently based on many things including recommendations by LS, quality of site, keyword phrases wanted, etc.

[3rd eye]

I have also noticed that for some keywords my site is there in Looksmart but for the same keyword searched for in MSN, my site does not appear in any of the results, strange aii?

[potjack]

3rd eye, I feel your grief. I think theres a boost added by both editors and it is very subjective. My site is prety much at the top for the keyword office chairs in looksmart (I don't count the first few listings to the mega/corporate sites as couting because there is no way to beat them). However my listing in msn is much lower. I think the editor at looksmart must have liked my site enough to put it ahead of the site that comes up #1 msn, and the msn editor must have thought that the other site was better. I don't agree with the msn editors feelings, but I guess that the way the cookie crumbles.

Doug, if you come across this and read this I was wondering if you think that a description change in looksmart would provoke another evaluation for the "boost" on MSN's side?

Happy Easter everyone!

[lots0cash]

Doug, if you come across this and read this I was wondering if you think that a description change in looksmart would provoke another evaluation for the "boost" on MSN's side?

I am not Doug but - I can tell you from personal experience that a description change (through LS) will NOT change your ranking in M$N.

[kalew]

Do you think the MSN editors go back through their "top picks" and change things around ? In other words, do the first several looksmart listings remain in their position until a better, newly submitted looksmart listing comes along, or will MSN give someone - who has been in the index for a while - a chance to rank well for a change of menu, so to speak ?

[ihelpyou]

A description change will not help as much as paying to have your url in another category. More changes to rank in MSN that way.