Microsoft buys Web-comparison shopping sites

Microsoft Corp. is buying a Munich, Germany-based Web comparison shopping site and its parent company for about $486 million in cash.

The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker says the acquisition of Greenfield Online Inc., which owns Ciao, a collection of European price-comparison, shopping and consumer reviews sites in seven countries and languages, will boost its search presence in Europe.

The company says the Ciao sites get more than 26 million unique visitors a month.

Greenfield shareholders will get $17.50 a share, Microsoft said Friday.

Microsoft lags market leader Google Inc. in search traffic and Web advertising revenue. In recent months, the company has focused on improving its sites for searches that lead to transactions, such as shopping and travel. One such effort gives Web shoppers a rebate when they find and purchase items on Microsoft's Live Search site.