MSN.com is known to be an “all in one internet portal.” With that being said, it is one of the most visited websites in the world, day in and day out. If you are a basic internet user, there is a good chance that you are quite familiar with both the pros and cons of MSN.com. Of course, more advanced and tech savvy users also find this website to be helpful in many ways.

Design

Like any website, the first thing that a visitor is going to notice is the design. This is one area in which MSN.com thrives. Despite the fact that the homepage is a bit crowded, the design is aesthetically pleasing to say the least. At the top of the page, users have the ability to use the Live Search Engine to find what they are looking for.

Directly below the search engine box is links to popular MSN.com features such as Hotmail, Messenger, My MSN, and MSN Directory. These are the most popular links at MSN.com. In addition to these, users also have the ability to check out information on travel, autos, careers, games, horoscopes, money, music, shopping, sports, weather, and more.

Marketing

In the early days of MSN.com, marketing was important for the company. After all, they were yet to be established as a major internet player. Of course, those days are long gone. At this time, it appears that MSN.com relies more on word of mouth than anything else. With the ability to pick up traffic based on word of mouth, the website can increase its base without having to spend tons of money. Of course, MSN.com runs television spots that put the company and site in the public eye.

Content

Content is what makes the internet tick, and MSN.com is no slouch in this area. Unlike sites such as Google that concentrate more on the search side of things, MSN.com offers plenty of updated, quality content. On the front page alone, there are links to the hottest stories of the day. For ease of use, these links are broken down into sections including MSNBC News, FOX Sports, and Money.

All of the content that is added to MSN.com is accurate, of high quality, and geared towards the user. This works out well for anybody who is a news fanatic.

Stats

According to Alexa.com, MSN is the 5th most visited website in the world. With that being said, the majority of the people who visit MSN.com are doing so for the Hotmail service; this makes up 48 percent of visitors.Â

As you can see, MSN.com is no slouch when it comes to sheer traffic numbers, as well as the quality of content that it provides. But with that being said, the reach of the site has been on the decline as of late.

It will be interesting to see what happens to MSN.com if Microsoft ends up taking over Yahoo. It is safe to say that the website is in for some major changes, hopefully for the better, if this acquisition takes place.

All in all, MSN.com is a popular website, and for good reason. It offers a nice layout, quality information, and many other benefits that will suit the needs of most users.