With Google on the cusp of making more revenue from online ad sales than Microsoft does from Windows, and taking a commanding lead in search, Microsoft has tasked one man with increasing its search business and "disrupting" Google.

That man is Kevin Johnson, who spearheaded the failed Yahoo acquisition and is now in talks to acquire Yahoo's search business. 

"What we're lacking is more share of search queries. So we've got to attract more users to our search engine. The more consumers use our search, the better our platform is to advertisers," Johnson told Fortune.

The first of Johnson's ploys to steal users from Google is Microsoft's new rebate program that pays customers to use its search engine. The next step is engagement mapping, which will allow Microsoft to track a consumer and use that information to sell ads in other online arenas besides search.

The key to catching Google, however, lies in scale. "The more ad inventory you can get, the better job you can do to target ads, drive efficiency, and deliver better yield for publishers," Johnson said.

Microsoft is also working on Windows Live Services, which it wants to be to the internet what Windows was to desktop software.

While Microsoft is still in talks with Yahoo, shares in the British classified ad directory Yell are rising amid rumors of a Microsoft bid, according to Reuters.