Fast results look very similar to another large engine's.

[subway]

Has anyone else noticed that since the Google update (Sep 2002) Fast's results are looking extremely similar to the current Google SERPs.

It seems that certainly with the keywords I'm searching the 2 are about 75% similar for the first 10-15 results.

Is it possible that the only difference between Fast and Google was PR, and now that has been heavily discounted with the new Google update the SERPs on both engines are looking more similar than ever. Anyone else noticed?

[cornwall]

Fast's results are looking extremely similar to the current Google SERPs

Not if you are looking for information on "[some regional searchterm]"

[edited by: heini at 10:43 am (utc) on Oct. 7, 2002]
[edit reason] no specific urls/searches please / thanks! [/edit]

[steveb]

The fast results aren't remotely similar to Google results for anything I search for.

[subway]

I should have been more specific. I meant in very competitive areas.

[DaveN]

I think that in very competitive market place you will always get "seo grouping" its the nature of the business we are in.

Fast, Google, MSN etc The Traffic Generators will always be targeted by SEO's the lesser SE's will have different SERP's

"there may be many fish in the sea, but you can only carry so many in your boat"

DaveN

[steveb]

"I should have been more specific. I meant in very competitive areas."

Same comment, as a general rule, the results aren't remotely similar.

[heini]

Well, with a rough 2 Bill index on each I'd be rather cautious with general rules on similarity.

Not astonishingly I - like everybody else here - could easily name examples for both, close similarity and wide gaps.

Of course we don't name any searches.

Comparing serps is always somewhat awkward. Take a search with 1Mill results in Google, and lets say 999.000 in ATW and 998.000 in Ink.
Do you know how many of those results are in all three? Do you know how many links are known in each SE?

Just to add to the confusion: I follow a serp which is so close between Google and INK, I once had thought AOL had been switching to Google a couple of days before it really started.