AOL and iWon start using the Google search engine

(August 5 2002) The US version of AOL has now switched from Inktomi to Google for regular search engine results.

Inktomi has definitely got a decent search engine, but it is not in the same league as Google.

The switch means that AOL searchers will get better search results from the new AOL Search service. AOL probably hopes it can stop AOL "deserters" from using Google instead of AOL's own search facility. More searches means more page views and -- consequently -- more ad revenue.

The improvement comes at a price, though. The "old" AOL Search provided one of the most advanced sets of true Boolean search queries available. It even supported the ADJ operator!

The new version only gives you Google's rather limited set of operators, and there is as yet no page for advanced searching.

It seems to us that AOL gives access to the complete Google database, although some alternative file formats like PDF are excluded. There are no links to the Google cache files, i.e. to pages that let you see the Web page the way it was the last time it was visited by Google.

All in all we would say that the new AOL Search does provide a better search experience. But AOL, please choose a larger font for the results, and do demand that Google starts supporting true Boolea !

The lottery-based iWon search engine has also switched to Google, but while AOL has also asked Google to provide pay per click text ads, iWon sticks with Overture. While AOL limits the number of "sponsored links" to three per results page, iWon may give you as many as seven.

iWon does have a page for advanced searching, however, quite similar to the Google original.

These developments confirm a trend we could see as early as at the beginnings of last year. The search engine market is moving towards a search engine duopoly, where Google and Fast are fighting for search sites and Internet service provider portals.

Inktomi is now left with MSN.com as its only major search result outlet, and unless it manages to wrestle Yahoo! out of the hands of Google, it can no longer be counted among the large search engine companies.

This means that there will be less impetus for Web masters and search engine marketers to pay Inktomi for inclusion (and you have to pay to get a decent ranking in Inktomi powered search engines) -- a vicious circle indeed!

Note that there are two versions of the AOL search page, one internal version for AOL subscribers and one "anywhere" version to be used by anyone.

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