MSN's adCenter, still in beta, may not be in the running when it comes to search volume, but apparently quality - as a result of the demographic data it uses - is trumping quantity, producing better results for advertisers than Google or Yahoo, according to yet another search expert, writes InternetRetailer. "Were seeing better results on MSN than on Google or Yahoo," Dave Williams, chief strategist of search engine marketing firm 360i, is quoted as saying.

He says the reason is the demographic data, including age, sex and home city, that adCenter makes available - and Google and Yahoo don't, at least not yet.

MSN is hoping adCenter will help it gain ground on Google and Yahoo. As of December, Google controlled 48.8 percent of the search market, followed by Yahoo at 21.4 percent and MSN at 10.9 percent, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.