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Smart money's still on Google, though. They're making it more and more like it's pure google, except they're keying everything key off of their directory rather than dmoz/google directory.
This can go one of two ways as Yahoo continues its move away from being a search engine and towards being an access and content provider. Either
a) Yahoo's directory gains value as the tight integration ties it even more closely to Google's results making it even more valuable to potential buyers - and there will come a day sooner than later when Yahoo gets out of the directory biz altogether, I'm sure of it.
or
b) The directory becomes something less important in the overall scheme of things and, as such, submission levels decrease and it therefore becomes managable. In its current state, they hardly keep up with paid submissions, not to mention free ones. If you put it on the back burner to the point where it is useful, though just enough to cover its own costs, then its worth hanging on to.
Shrug. The next couple of months are going to be fun. Anyone who's selling products on their site better hope they don't have all their eggs in the wrong basket for the Christmas season which, by the way, we need to start optimizing for next month to get it into Google for Thanksgiving.
G.
Like Chiyo said, the testing in the serps is pretty much a dead lock indication that it is going to continue to be Google. I'd be very surprised if anyone else has been in discussion with Yahoo since June.
Although I agree with rcjordan's think like Yahoo's CEO approach, I think it is too late for Yahoo to stop Google's momentum. Yahoo became big by word of mouth. I think Google is now big enough that it can sustain its growth by word of mouth alone. So if you are Yahoo's CEO, do you dump the engine that people want in an attempt to stunt their growth? Or do you play INK and FAST off of them to squeeze the best deal that you can out of Google?
Websurfers are more capable and sophisticated than they were 3 years ago. The rate of new websurfers (english-speaking) has slowed down (though still growing). Search engines are also more mature and the rate of new features and capabilities being added has slowed to a crawl (pun intended). People aren't going to jump to the latest engine or new thing just because Yahoo switched its backup results. The net of all of this is many people have tried more than one engine and found what they like. There isn't as big a percentage of new users jumping on the internet each month to alter the balance of power as quickly as could have happened a couple of years ago.
If I was Yahoo's CEO I would either squeeze Google for the best deal, or I would buy Ask/Teoma and plan on kickin the s**t out of them. I think that the latter is unlikely given the deemphasis on search at Yahoo since the new CEO came in.
Personally though I won't be making any bets without real inside information first :)
Although Yahoo may wish to concentrate less on the search industry, it is an area which attracts users as a first port of call, and cannot be ignored.
From what I hear, my money is on WiseNut if it is ready in time, failing that FAST for a limited contract. We will see I guess...
You don't happen to work for/with Looksmart/Wisenut do you?
As for Yahoo and Google:
Keep your friend's close and your enemies closer...
Google: even money
FAST: 15 to 1
INK: 10 to 1
Anything else: 1000 to 1
Surely you jest about choosing Wisenut??? They seem TOTALLY incompetent. I just checked. Not only do they somehow still list my main site at a URL it hasn't been at for 5 months, they haven't yet added the new site at the new URL. Even though their bot has spidered it multiple times. Even more bizarre they list a site on the same topic someone else runs at a URL it hasn't been at for over a *year*!?
And, running some searches where I know what sites a decent search engine would list, I found Wisenut pathetic beyond belief. To be honest, I am hard pressed to think of a worse search engine than Wisenut. Yahoo would have to be, err...yahoos with a death wish to choose Wisenut.
If Yahoo does decide to switch, I'd have to consider FAST to be the likely choice. To many others, most notably msn.com, use Inktomi. I dunno that Askjeeves/Teoma would want to partner with Yahoo. My guess is they want to compete, and basically if they did that they'd just become the content provider for the huge Yahoo.
I might think though Yahoo would want to drop Google. Why use Yahoo if Google gives pretty much the same results?
[help.yahoo.com...]
Not only do they somehow still list my main site at a URL it hasn't been at for 5 months, they haven't yet added the new site at the new URL
I agree, except for one of my sites it's using an IP address that's over a year and half old. Blughh. Wisenut - isn't.
Rar Rar Google. But I think $$$ speak and Fast may just get it.
if they don't choose google, lotta people will not go to there se any more,beleive me i know!
so #2 IBM :)
I'll like to wager 1000 banner exposures on my profile site on the event of Yahoo tying up with 'ANYONE ELSE' except Google, Inktomi & FAST, if those 1:1000 odds you were offering still hold good.
I could use a million impressions for my astrology site :)
Vikram
Does anyone know if yahoo renewed the contract? looks like they still use google.
arman
% nslookup ink.yahoo.com
Server: resolver1.level3.net
Address: 209.244.0.3
Non-authoritative answer:
Name: newgoogle.yahoo.akadns.net
Address: 64.58.78.245
Aliases: ink.yahoo.com, google.yahoo.com
Came from an old Yahoo link, the same as if you had run the serp yourself years ago and put the link on your site. BTW, did it come from a MAC user?
Happens.
[google.com...]
I think you're right that this was just a fluke. But not sure it was from an old yahoo link, since this site is only a year old. I haven't seen any more referrals from ink.yahoo since that one yesterday.
> BTW, did it come from a MAC user?
No, it was a PC user.
