Windows 8.1 Search Screen Will Indeed Display Ads

The Bing integration in Windows 8.1 search has been a feature of interest ever since news about it first came out. The completely revamped search option in the upcoming OS allows consumers the ability to look for information both online and offline.

Users can search for pretty much everything — from files to photos, documents to web links, even SkyDrive content straight from their shiny new Start screen.

And now Microsoft has announced that ads will be offered as part of Windows 8.1 search experience, allowing advertisers the chance to connect with users even easier.

In a detailed blog post, the software titan explains that using this option gives advertisers the power to reach targeted audience a whole lot better:

“Now, with a single campaign setup, advertisers can connect with consumers across Bing, Yahoo! and the new Windows Search with highly relevant ads for their search queries. In addition, Bing Ads will include web previews of websites and the latest features like site links, location and call extensions, making it easier for consumers to complete tasks and for advertisers to drive qualified leads.”

This is obviously part of Microsoft’s efforts to bring its Bing search service in the spotlight, and make the search engine a dedicated platform as the search engine is now playing an increasingly important role in Redmond’s long term strategy.

“Bing Ads within Windows 8.1 Smart Search allows advertiser campaigns that are already participating on the Yahoo! Bing Network to automatically be eligible to be shown without any additional setup. As we’ve said before, our goal is to make search advertising easier for our customers, while providing the best consumer experience with the most relevant results for the tasks they are looking to accomplish.”

Obviously, this is a chance that not everyone would agree with, and it remains to be seen if the company plans to offer an option to disable ads in Windows 8.1 search screen.

Still, the company has promised that it will offer more details on this in the months to come, and the feature itself will very likely launch in Windows 8.1 RTM.