Microsoft Is Trying To Make People Switch To Its Microsoft Edge Browser By Copying What Google Did

Dhir Acharya - Apr 27, 2020

Microsoft is doing the same thing as Google to promote its own web browser, the new Microsoft Edge. And it's doing that through Outlook domain.

For years, Google has been telling people to switch to its Chrome browser through pop-ads placed across its web properties, promising better features, performance, and security. And now Microsoft is doing the same thing with the help of its email service to encourage users to use its revamped Microsoft Edge browser.

On the Outlook.com site, there is a promotional note saying “Microsoft Edge + Outlook = Better together.” If you click on the text, you will be redirected to a download site for Microsoft Edge, but the website doesn’t say how Microsoft’s tech works better. In addition, Windows Latest says there are also multiple other ads on the site.

The new move from Microsoft indicates how tech giants are promoting their browsers using another domain. Besides, Microsoft has prompted users to shift to Edge through advertisements in the start menu of Windows 10. Meanwhile, as for Apple, the company lets people use third-party browsers on its devices but requires the software to be built on its Safari browser tech foundation.

It’s unclear how the promotion for the Edge is going. Google and Microsoft did not respond immediately to a comment request.

Microsoft is urging users to switch to its web browser

As of now, Google dominates browser usage with its Chrome browser, making up 64 percent of total web activity. As reported by analytics company StatCounter. On the other hand, Microsoft remade its Internet Explorer into the new Edge years ago but couldn’t gain popularity, so it made another attempt by rebuilding Microsoft Edge using Chromium-based technology.

You can download the revamped Microsoft Edge browser right now though the company will likely widely distribute it in the next Windows update this spring.

Web browsers play an important role to tech giants by driving traffic to search engines, which often share revenue from advertising with browsers. However, when the Chrome browser sends searches to Google, or when Microsoft Edge sends searches to Bing, the maker of the browser doesn’t have to share revenue with another firm.