Robert Hof wrote:

 

Continuing to plug away at Google ‘s dominant share of the lucrative search advertising market, Microsoft today announced that it will add its Bing Ads system to the new version of Windows due to launch later this year.

 

 

Last week, the software giant launched a preview of Window 8.1, a planned update of its latest computer operating system. It will offer a feature called Smart Search that allows users to conduct a search in Windows that will look for information on the Web, their device, apps, and a company cloud. Part of a larger plan to turn Bing into a software platform, it’s intended to provide an easier way to find what you’re looking for without having to make separate searches on the Web and in your email, for example.

 

Today, Microsoft said its advertisers will be able to target users not just on Web search results pages but directly inside Windows Smart Search. David Pann, general manager of Microsoft’s Search Advertising Group, said in an interview that advertisers don’t have to do additional setup to participate. The Smart Search ads will feature a preview of the websites the ad will send people to, as well as click-to-call info and site links, which are additional links under the main result that direct users deeper into a website to the most likely page they might want.