Yahoo! has a history of looking for and acquiring companies and their technology and hiring employees from those businesses. I focused upon the most recent companies with this post and will follow up soon with the rest that I can uncover. Here are several Yahoo acquisitions since October 2003:
3721 Network Software Co.
3721 Network Software Co. (November 2003) 3721 NSC is a Hong Kong-based language keyword search engines and real name address system. This company owned the Chinese company, Beijing 3721 Technology Co. Ltd (aka 3721). There’s a nice illustration on the Beijing page on how the translation of their real name (Chinese keywords are typed in the browser address bar instead of a URL) from English to Chinese works.
I’m not certain if the Beijing branch was sold to Yahoo! in the purchase. I’ve seen a couple of conflicting reports on that part of the acquisition.
Kelkoo
Kelkoo (March 2004) A European based online shopping and advertising service
Yahoo! Press Release: Yahoo! to Acquire Kelkoo.
Kelkoo has partnered with Sight’up to use their self-learning, artificial intelligence classification software.
The Sight’Up Press Release on the technology used is pretty interesting: Kelkoo integrates Sight’Up artificial intelligence in its search system
Oddpost
Oddpost (July 2004) “Rich Internet Application” is one phrase used to describe this email and RSS aggregation service. Gmail has been compared to it.
Please take a look at this PCWorld review, E-Mail Evolves, where the magazine names the application the best Web-Based email program of 2003. One is the screenshot and description. The other is the mention and review of Bloomba to kick off the article. See Stata Labs for a little about what they might have been doing with Bloomba below.
Musicmatch
Musicmatch (September 2004) personalized music software and services
Yahoo! Press Release: Yahoo! and Musicmatch Announce Completion of Acquisition
Yahoo! already had some music offerings, especially after the acquisition of Launch Media in 2001, But Musicmatch could be seen as a way to compete with iTunes and RealNetworks. But, how does Musicmatch Unlimited fit into the picture? It seems that the services will be integrated into each other. (Yahoo now points visitors to a rhapsody signup page instead of Musicmatch.)
There are some patent applications in the US Patent Office with names on them of people who were employees of Musicmatch at roughly the time they filed. However, they are not assigned to Musicmatch or Yahoo!, so there may be a question about whether or not Yahoo! owns the intellectual property described in them.
Relationship discovery engine
Published December 11, 2003 – older version, published June 27, 2002
Abstract:
A system, method, and computer program product discover relationships among items and recommend items based on the discovered relationships.
The recommendations provided by the present invention are based on user profiles that take into account the actual preferences of users without requiring users to complete questionnaires. In addition, an improved binomial log-likelihood ratio analysis technique is applied to reduce the adverse effects of overstatement of coincidence and predominance of best sellers.
The invention may be used, for example, to generate tracklists for a personalized radio station.
Controllable track-skipping
Published: January 23, 2003
Abstract:
A method, system, and computer program product allow users to skip and/or fast-forward through media items such as songs while limiting the extent to which skipping is allowed to maintain conformance with sound performance complement restrictions such as those specified by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
If the user requests a skip that may result in a DMCA violation, the skip is disallowed, and the request is denied. In addition, playlists are constructed so that the sound recording performance complement limitations are applied to a longer period than the period specified in the DMCA. The longer time period is defined by adding an “excess time” to the normal DMCA period.
If the user attempts to skip a song or song portion that would cause the aggregated skipped amount to exceed the excess time, the skip is disallowed.
File splitting, scalable coding, and asynchronous transmission in streamed data transfer
Published September 18, 2003
Abstract:
Files are divided into parts, and at least some parts are transmitted to a client using a communication channel.
At least some of the transmitted parts are cached locally. This allows subsequent streaming playback of the file while using less bandwidth by transmitting the part of the file that hasn’t been cached and combining the cached parts with the transmitted parts.
In some embodiments, files may be represented at a low-quality level by a first data set and at higher quality levels with additional data sets. Data sets are cached locally so that during subsequent streaming playback of the file, the quality level of the playback may be improved by sending additional data sets using bandwidth that would otherwise be dedicated to transmitting the cached data sets.
Music purchasing and playing system and method
Published September 8, 2005
Abstract:
An online music purchasing system and method are disclosed, in which a radio service operates on a user’s computer and is configured for receiving and playing digital radio representations of media content in near real-time in a radio session.
A content server is configured for serving the digital radio representations of media content to the radio service. In addition, a radio sequence server is configured for serving a sequential list of currently-playing and previously-played media content of the radio session to the radio service.
An accounting server is configured for receiving a signal indicative of a user’s desire to purchase a file of one of a currently-playing or previously-played media content.
A download manager is configured for downloading the file to the user’s computer according to the signal indicative of the user’s desire to purchase the file.
Before working at Musicmatch, a few of the folks from that company worked at another one named Aptex Software, Inc. If you are interested in personalized music and recommendation, Apex owns a patent that is worth a look, named System and method for optimal adaptive matching of users to the most relevant entity and information in real-time
Stata Laboratories, Inc.
Stata Labs (October 2004, is unavailable), e-mail and email search company headed by Raymond Stata, who previously worked at Altavista, Compaq, HP, and on the Internet Archive, has written or co-authored a number of well known search papers, such as Graph structure in the web and The Term Vector Database: fast access to indexing terms for Web pages.
Raymie Stata is now Yahoo’s Chief Architect of Search and Marketplace. His name is on several patents and patent applications, but there is one patent application specifically assigned to Stata Labs. I list a few applications that come from around the same time or are newer.
Systems and methods for relating events to a date or date range selection
Assigned to Stata Laboratories, Published October 28, 2004.
Abstract:
Systems and methods for selecting a time/date or a range of times/dates are provided.
In one aspect, systems and methods having non-linear timeline UI mechanism(s) for selecting a date, or selecting a date range, are provided. In recognition that user interaction with and recall of time varies depending upon how far away the period of interest is from the present time, the non-linear timeline provides UI mechanism(s) for selecting a time having different granularities of time in different portions of the timeline.
Additionally, in recognition that user interaction with dates and times is not always in terms of numbers, but rather in terms of events, etc., occurring at or around a particular period of interest, systems and methods having date relation UI techniques are provided.
Systems and methods for selecting a date or range of dates
Related in topic to the above application, this one is unassigned and was published on July 1, 2004.
Abstract:
Systems and methods for selecting a time/date or a range of times/dates are provided.
In one aspect, systems and methods having non-linear timeline UI mechanism(s) for selecting a date, or selecting a date range, are provided. In recognition that user interaction with and recall of time varies depending upon how far away the period of interest is from the present time, the non-linear timeline provides UI mechanism(s) for selecting a time having different granularities of time in different portions of the timeline.
Additionally, in recognition that user interaction with dates and times is not always in terms of numbers, but rather in terms of events, etc., occurring at or around a particular period of interest, systems and method having date relation UI techniques are provided.
The following three patent applications were filed in October of 2004 and published this year:
Systems and methods for indexing content for fast and scalable retrieval
Abstract:
Systems and methods for query processing and indexing of documents connected with a content store in a computing system are provided.
In various embodiments, an indexing model is provided that is optimized for fast, efficient, and scalable retrieval of documents satisfying a query, including the mixed-use of forwarding and inverted indexing representations, including algorithms for achieving a balance between the two representations.
When processing queries, fast and efficient generation of reverse chronologically ordered posting lists can efficiently execute logical operators on query result sets.
A term expands index is also provided wherein the overall terms included in the term expand index is decomposed into a plurality of lexicon files, which are combined when convenient for fast, scalable efficiency when performing queries of the content store.
Systems and methods for a search-based email client
Abstract:
A search-based email client may incorporate many useful features.
A search function can default to a search of all email contexts, thereby eliminating user cogitation over which context an email message may be stored in. Furthermore, the search function can automatically search for related personal content and/or related information on the internet or other computer network and present this useful information to the user in addition to the returned emails.
The search function can be integrated into a user interface to allow for one-click searches on any likely search field. In addition, the search function can search the body of email messages by default, thereby widening the scope of default searches and eliminating potentially missed information and user need to widen their search proactively.
A search function can search for attachments, which also provides a wider search scope.
Systems and methods for indexing content for fast and scalable retrieval
Abstract:
Systems and methods for query processing and indexing of documents connected with a content store in a computing system are provided.
In various embodiments, an indexing model is provided that is optimized for fast, efficient, and scalable retrieval of documents satisfying a query, including the mixed-use of forwarding and inverted indexing representations, including algorithms for achieving a balance between the two representations.
When processing queries, fast and efficient generation of reverse chronologically ordered posting lists can efficiently execute logical operators on query result sets.
A term expands index is also provided wherein the overall terms included in the term expand index is decomposed into a plurality of lexicon files, which are combined when convenient for fast, scalable efficiency when performing queries of the content store.
WUF Networks
WUF Networks (November 2004), multi-media transfer of data onto mobile devices. From the Wuf Network pages:
Personal Networking establishes an environment in which digital content follows its owner regardless of where the content is stored. With Personal Networking, the consumer is the center of the entertainment world, not the device. As such, consumers will always have access to their distributed digital content.
Ludicorp Research & Development Ltd
Ludicorp is the maker of Flickr (March 2005) Image storage and display.
Stewart Butterfield, Caterina Fake, and Eric Costello are three of the team members recognizable by many bloggers. Flickr has been one of the leaders in social tagging.
This acquisition was a surprise at the time, at least to me, but it elevated Yahoo! in my eyes to a company that is paying attention to some of the new social movements going on on the web.
TeRespondo
TeRespondo (April 2005) Brazilian PPC Search Engine
There’s an excellent analysis of the impact of this purchase by Nacho Hernandez, at Yahoo! Buys TeRespondo.com to gain market share in Latin America
This article, Publicidad en clics, notes that Terespondo operated in the Hispanic markets of the EU, Mexico, and Brazil, and to a lesser degree in Argentina.
Dialpad
Dialpad (June 2005) Internet Telephony. From the Dialpad pages, about the purchase:
Yahoo! plans on leveraging Dialpad’s PSTN calling capabilities to add to Yahoo! Messenger’s recently enhanced PC-to-PC voice calling offering. These products are very complementary. By combining our strengths, we are better positioned to take advantage of the fast-growing IP telephony market and build a range of exciting new services.
Method for initiating internet telephone service from a web page (Granted December 21, 2004)
Abstract:
A direct telephone dialing scheme for initiating internet telephone service from a web page is provided.
The scheme allows a caller using an internet telephone service to place a telephone call to a telephone number appearing on any web page directly from that web page.
In one embodiment, a caller navigates to the desired web page on the internet. Then, the caller dials a telephone number on that web page directly to initiate two-way audio communication with the destination telephone number using an internet telephone service. Thus, the direct telephone dialing scheme of the present invention improves the accessibility and ease of use of internet telephone services.
Furthermore, the direct telephone dialing scheme can be used with video, data, and fax communications supported by the VoIP data communication standard.
Note: The assignee named in this patent is “Dialpad Acquisition Corporation,” which was created to “acquire substantially all of the assets of Dialpad as part of the company’s financial restructuring,” according to this press release from April 30, 2002.
blo.gs
blo.gs (June 2005) pinging service
The changeover has been somewhat rough, as noted in this blog post: Yahoo buys del.icio.us; hope it’s better than when Yahoo bought blo.gs
Pixoria (Konfabulator)
Pixoria and their product Konfabulator (July 2005) JavaScript runtime engine running Widgets
Yahoo! Press Release: Yahoo! Announces Upgrade of Yahoo! Widgets: Maps, Picture Frame, Search, E-Mail Checker, and Notepad Lead Slate of New Widgets
Arlo Rose, CEO of the parent company, Pixoria, will join Yahoo! as the Director of Widget Technology and the two engineers who worked with him on it at Pixoria. Here’s a little from him on his blog:
And with that, we give you Yahoo! Widgets
Clearing the air about Yahoo! Widget Engine
Technology News, in Yahoo Buys Widget Maker Konfabulator (is unavailable) notes:
Yahoo said it would keep Konfabulator’s development team of Arlo Rose, Perry Clarke, and Ed Voas on board to develop new technology and would make it the core of a new Yahoo Developers Network, providing support to third party software code writers who want to make tools that work with Yahoo content.
Wikipedia has a nice rundown of the features of some of the widgets available.
Ed Voas is one of the named inventors on an Apple Patent granted in 2001 on a Multiple theme engine graphical user interface architecture.
Alibaba
Alibaba (August 2005), Yahoo! purchases a 40% share in this Chinese ecommerce site, proceeding together as a joint venture.
Yahoo! Press Release: Yahoo! and Alibaba.com Form Strategic Partnership in China
upcoming.org
upcoming.org (October 2005) An Events based service using RSS. There’s a potentially very nice synergy between upcoming’s events, local search, and calendaring.
The owners of upcoming.org, Andrew Baio, Gordon Luk and Leonard Lin, have all joined Yahoo! with this acquisition. As Leonard Lin noted:
I have to admit that this seemed a bit unlikely to me when this possibility first came up. After all, we were just getting started. But after our initial talks, it was obvious that Yahoo! had the same passion we did, and most importantly, they both got and shared our vision.
Moving forward, we now have the freedom, resources, and support to pursue the event space on a whole different level, working with some of the brightest and most motivated people in the world. I’m not sure you can beat that combination.
WhereOnEarth Unlimited
WhereOnEarth Unlimited (October 2005) Location based advertising in the UK, with international geo-coding technology.
Yahoo! Search Blog: Yahoo! and Whereonearth Get More Relevant Together
Patent Applications assigned to Whereonearth Limited:
Method of determining geographical location from IP address information
Abstract:
A method of determining a geographical location from IP address information comprising:
interrogating a database of IP address information mapped to domain name information by submitting a given IP address;
the database returning a domain name in response to the given IP address;
deriving one or more likely web site addresses from the domain name;
and scanning or each derived website address for geographical address information to determine likely geographical address information.
Geographical location extraction
Abstract:
A geographical location extraction method and tool to infer a likely geographical location from one or more search terms entered as a query by a user on a search engine or the like, the method comprising utilizing one or more processes selected from the group consisting of:
word analysis to determine which parts of a search query comprise location names and provide an indicator of the extent to which a given search term or part thereof should be treated as a geographical location;
ranking geographical location names by the probability that the location names are likely to be searched;
returning a list of probable locations in response to a search term comprising a non-geographical search term associated with a geographical location name;
determining a geographical distance between a likely geographical location derived from the search term and a derived geographical location of a user;
the user submitting criteria including a locality name, identifying from the criteria the locality name and returning, in dependence on the locality name, a probability that the locality name is associated with a geographical location;
categorizing search terms in a query into a local activity or a remote activity;
analyzing the order in which words appear in a search query string, in combination with a search in a locations database, to return a likelihood of a search term relating to a list of probably associated locations; and
inferring a geographical location from a search query including a point of interest.
Method of determining a likely geographical location
Abstract:
A method of determining a likely geographical location for which a user of a computer desires further information based on submitted criteria comprising the steps of:
the user submitting criteria including a locality name;
identifying from the criteria the locality name;
returning, in dependence on the locality name, a probability that the locality name is associated with a geographical location.
Method of providing location based information to a mobile terminal within a communications network
Abstract:
A method of providing location-based information to a mobile terminal within a communications network comprising the steps of
interrogating a component of the communications network to determine the location of a mobile terminal within the communications network;
repeating the above process several times over some time;
generating, from the repeated determinations of the location of the mobile terminal within the communications network, a location profile for the mobile terminal;
storing the location profile; and
providing location-based information to the mobile terminal in response to the mobile terminal location determined by the stored location profile.
Delicious
Del.icio.us (December 2005) First Yahoo! buys Flickr, and then they acquire Del.icio.us, as Yahoo! adopts to Web 2.0 by grabbing two of the leaders in social tagging.
Yahoo! Search Blog: Great Tastes That Go Great Together
Excellent post from Ari Paparo on his 1999 social bookmarking software Blink and the purchase of del.ico.us by Yahoo!: Getting it Right
Del.icio.us is not Yahoo Bookmarks, which is similar in many ways. Will they merge, or will they remain separate?
Seven Network
Seven Network (December 2005) Not an acquisition, as much as a joint venture between Yahoo! and Seven Network, and their online assets and television and magazine content.
Yahoo! Press release: Yahoo! Inc and Seven Network Combine Online and Mobile Business in Australia and New Zealand
Added 12/29/05
I missed at least four from this period. I’m adding them to the end of this post.
Farechase
Farechase (July 2004) Web-based travel search engine
Marketing Vox notes that this company’s 25 employees were going to work with Yahoo!
All-Seeing Eye. Inc.
All-Seeing Eye. Inc. (September 2004)
Short, but interesting article on some suspected motivations for the purchase at Wikipedia on The All Seeing Eye
In addition to some interesting server technology for games, this acquisition brought some strong leadership for the video games division of Yahoo! Games.
Verdisoft
Verdisoft (February 2005)
Developed server software that would carry a user’s settings and preferences to synch one device to another. So, an email read on the phone would be marked as read on the same person’s desktop computer.
Marco Boerries became the Senior Vice President of Yahoo!’s Global Connected Life Business Unit and worked at Sun Microsystems before founding Verdisoft in 2001. He was instrumental in introducing Gnome to the world and was the creator of the StarOffice suite.
There are three patent applications with the name “Marco Boerries” on them filed and published when he was at Verdisoft.
System and method for sharing objects among two or more electronic devices
Published July 22, 2004
Abstract:
The present invention generally relates to electronic devices with corresponding device DNA and specifically to such electronic devices that share objects by reference to this device DNA.
The present invention includes sharing objects among two or more electronic devices with differing object processing capabilities.
In particular, a plurality of descriptions of each of the two or more electronic devices and object meta-data, which describes objects, is referenced when the two or more electronic devices exchange objects.
For example, if a given electronic device requests an object that it can not process, the object may be transcoded so that this electronic device can process the object.
The transcoding is a function of the electronic device’s description, the object’s object meta-data, and the object’s intended use.
System for standardizing updates of data on a plurality of electronic devices
Published September 11, 2003
Abstract:
An apparatus for standardizing data on two or more electronic devices, comprising:
an intermediate server on which is stored a plurality of characterizations, wherein the plurality of characterizations includes a separate characterization for each of the two or more electronic devices; and
a service provider that offers one or more back-end software modules to at least one of the two or more electronic devices, and wherein each of the one or more back-end software modules has data associated with it;
wherein: a notification module stored on the intermediate server detects a change in the data associated with one of the one or more back-end software modules;
As a result of an interaction with one or more electronic devices, the intermediate server receives the change in the data associated with one or more back-end software modules. It creates an updated characterization for one of the two or more electronic devices.
System and method for managing two or more electronic devices
Published September 11, 2003
Abstract:
The present invention comprises a system and method for managing two or more electronic devices.
This includes permanently maintaining at a central location a plurality of characterizations for each of the two or more electronic devices. Each characterization reflects the previous, current, or future state of a corresponding electronic device. Each characterization, moreover, is linked to each other characterization.
As a result, a change to one characterization triggers a change to each other characterization. A characterization may change when a corresponding electronic device changes.
Similarly, if characterization is modified for other reasons (e.g., an electronic device corresponding to a linked characterization changes), the change is reflected in subsequent changes to a corresponding electronic device.
Stadeon, Inc.
Stadeon Inc. (March 2005) Focused on enabling players to use mobile devices while competing with PCs.
John Cahill was the founder and CEO of Stadeon, Inc. Stadeon made a software platform that allowed the development and distribution of interactive games on PCs and mobile devices. He was also Senior Vice President at Shockwave.com, involved in starting the company, developing its growth, and Vice President of Technology at SegaSoft Networks, Inc., and Trintech Group.
More information about earlier Yahoo! acquisitions will follow, probably in a couple of days.
Hi Nadir.
Yahoo! certainly has acquired more companies than Google. I have at least two dozen more to cover. 🙂
The strategies each search giant has taken does appear to be very different, though I think those approaches are changing over time.
Wow, didn’t they acquire more companies than Google did? I’m surprised to see that Alibaba, Kelkoo and others are now part of the Yahoo family, these are very big structures…
Yes, it looks like Yahoo is more focused on…everything that can brings revenue actually, while Google still remains on the search business. I think users will prefer to use Google as they will appear to be THE Internet search engine company…
Thank you, Jack.
I’m digging through the older acquisitions now, and it is an interesting corporate history. Thanks for the mention.
Useful! Many thanks for doing this….
How many companies has Yahoo! bought?
Thanks!
Matthew,
That’s been one of my concerns also, and partially why I’m doing some of this research. It is leading to some conclusions that will probably be focused upon in future posts.
blo.gs also had some problems after their purchase by Yahoo! But we don’t know whether those problems would have happened regardless of whether Yahoo! bought these companies. It can take a lot (money, time, resources) to run a service like a Del.icio.us.
There have been a number of web-based applications that I’ve enjoyed that disappeared for one reason or another. There have been a few that I liked that disappeared after a Yahoo! or Microsoft bought them.
The communities developing around places like Flickr are as important as the technology and the people behind it. We can hope that the Yahoo!s and Googles and Microsofts of the world keep that in mind.
I have mixed emotions about all the acquisitions Yahoo! has made. On one hand , I’m happy that Yahoo! is presenting legitimate competition for Google as competition always fosters creativity. On the other hand, I’m concerned about the future of some of these great sites that Yahoo! has acquired. Del.icio.us was down for several days after Yahoo! acquired it.
I agree with you, Jeff. Yahoo! does have a history of knowing how to handle traffic, and we have no idea about the reasons for the downtime that was experienced.
I’m cautiously optimistic over what will become of del.icio.us. I really wouldn’t like to see it change, or at least not much. Yahoo!’s recent history involving acquisitions seems to be promising.
I think it’s a bit presumptous to think Yahoo! had any impact on del.icio.us’ operations in these first few weeks after the acquisition. To intimate that they’re responsible for del.icio.us’ downtime seems pretty far fetched, especially considering Yahoo! has a server and network infrastructure that puts 95% of the sites on the Web to shame. That’s not to say they won’t mess up del.icio.us or other acquired companies in other ways – we’ve seen them and other large companies ruin smaller acquistions before – but we should blame them when and for what blame is due. At least they haven’t screwed up flickr or konfabulator too much yet, so perhaps that’s a sign that Yahoo!’s past Borg-like assimilation tactics are a thing of the past.
Damn good!!!I love yahoo forever.
Thanks, Emil.
I’m beginning to like a lot of what I see coming from Yahoo! also. I noticed the mention of the Yahoo! communications center on your blog. Nice work there. I’m going to mention it in a blog post.
curious if anyone knows who in particular is responsible for the yahoo acquisitions?
Hi Olivia,
I’d imagine that decisions regarding which companies might be acquired may come from a number of different sources within Yahoo!
There might be a number of reasons why a company is acquired, as opposed to worked with as a partner.
In some instances, a company might be acquired because the people working for that company might be perceived as being employees who would bring important insights and knowledge to Yahoo! In other instances, the technology involved might be something that Yahoo! could consider worth acquiring.
Though it’s not about Yahoo!, but rather Microsoft, Don Dodge, who works for Microsoft’s Emerging Business team has a nice post on acquisitions: “Microsoft will acquire my company”. I would say that the same type of thought processes enter the minds of the folks at Yahoo!
One of the interesting things about that post are the references to Firefly in the comments to the thread. Firefly was an early partner of Yahoo! which led to the “My Yahoo” technology the company uses today. I’ve wondered, if in hindsight, the folks at Yahoo! ever regretted not acquiring Firefly.
There’s some discussion on a Cre8asite Forums Thread about pitching ideas to Yahoo! that you might find interesting.
Any ideas of which 2005 Yahoo! acquisition might have substantially increased their full-time employees? I noticed that in the beginning of the year they were at 7,600 and last I checked they were pushing 10,000.
Hi Jesse,
Those match the numbers I’ve seen, looking around the web. Yahoo! went from Approximately 7600 employees in 2004 to 9800 employees by the end of 2005.
One particular void that Yahoo! tried to fill in the last year was likely account managers for their Yahoo! Search Marketing accounts.
New research centers in Chile and Spain probably resulted in a few more positions. Other international growth appears to have accounted for more, from statements made on the last quarterly report issued by Yahoo!
Those two factors – increased marketing staff and international expansion may have been the biggest reasons for hiring, but the acquisitions did bring some new staff to the company.
The Verdisoft acquisition looks like it brought 50 more people. WhereOnEarth Unlimited had about 25 employees when it was aquired. Hoovers notes (link no longer available) 40 employees for Dialpad, though it’s difficult to put a date to that amount. Farechase had 25 more employees. I searched around for how many people Terespondo employed, but I’m not coming up with any numbers. I’d imagine that they have more than a couple of account managers, in addition to management staff.
Some of the other acquisitions likely involved small numbers of people, like ludicorp, Pixoria, upcoming.org.
Thanks for asking. That is an amazing rate of growth.
It was interesting to read about the history of yahoo. So was the yahoo dominant before google? I used to use yahoo for most of my searches back in in 2005 and prior,then I started to get “blanks” and tried switching to google. It seem to gave more results. Even with my own website. I am indexed in google and ranked quite high,but nowhere to be seen in yahoo.
It’s good to acquire companies,but yahoo should also spend some time optimizing it’s own engine.
cheers,
Dmitri
Yahoo has some really bright folks working for them in the area of search, Dmitri. I’d hesitate in counting them out, completely.
If you’re interested, you could bring your site over to the Web Site Hospital section of Cre8asite Forums, and ask people to take a look at your site. There may be some things that you are doing or not doing that Yahoo may not like.
I get over 200 visitors a day from Yahoo and around 130 from Google with one of my sites, so I love Yahoo. But what surprised me was that I am also getting over 100 unique visitors a day from MSN Live Search.
I wouldn’t count any search engine out anymore because they can all bring you a ton of free traffic and more importantly they will bring you a ton of sales!
B.T.W. I love the article, as usual!
I love Yahoo & Google cause they are both great companies, although Google seems more powerful than Yahoo! now.
On May 9, 2008, Yahoo acquired Inquisitor which is a search software only available for Safari. In some degree, I think Yahoo’s community software is better than Google.
Thanks, Justin and zzllrr
I’m not sure what the future of Yahoo might be at this point in time. There are plenty of rumors circulating in the news that they are a potential target of a couple of different takeovers. I hope that they do survive and continue to bring some competition and choice to the search landscape.
Thanks for the Inquisitor update, zzllrr.
You’re welcome, Slawski. 🙂
Does Yahoo own a percentage of Bing? Their search results are almost identical for most searches. I have noticed that when changes get made in Yahoo search results, Bing has immediately changed as well. It just looks like they are part of the same company.
Hi Anthony,
Yahoo and Microsoft entered into an agreement a while back that Yahoo would use Microsoft’s search database. They continue to be separate companies, but Yahoo Search is now powered by Bing. Yahoo does sometimes present search results a little differently than Bing does, but most of the time the search results are almost identical.
Yahoo! is a nuts when it comes to acquisition. Google is smart when it comes to acquisition.