New version of Yahoo!

Pandia takes a look at the new version of the Yahoo! search engine.

(April 7 2003, update April 8) Yahoo! definitely fears the rise of Google on the search engine scene. They are now launching a new version of their search site -- and yes, it is becoming more like Google.

This means, of course, a cleaner lay out and less clutter. They have even copied the small boxed in text ads on the right hand side of the screen.

The home page of Yahoo! remains as dense as ever. If you go to the new search page, however, you will find a light, "breathing" search page, with simple tabs that sort the various search functions: web, directory, news, yellow pages, images and maps.

Registered Yahoo! users will have access to a preference page where they can define various filters for search results. You may decide the number of search results on each page, whether to open a new window, whether to filter out adult content, and select language.

To Reuters Jeff Weiner, Yahoo's senior vice president of search and online marketplace products, says that searchers may now get news stories by adding the word "news" to a query.

There are several such "Shortcuts", according to the Yahoo! help section:

• For maps, the keyword is map. (Use with a location.)
• For weather, the keyword is weather. (Use with a location.)
• For dictionary definitions, the keyword is define. (Use with any English word.)
• For news, the keyword is news. (Use with any topic.)
• To find local businesses in the USA, use any 5-digit ZIP code

Some features are still being tested, such as a shopping search facility that lets users search for prices, product reviews and specifications. This will probably be Yahoo!'s answer to Google's new shopping search engine, Froogle. (See Yahoo! product search beta test ).

Evidently, Yahoo! has used the newly acquired Inktomi technology to develop a smarter search engine, a search engine that's better at guessing whether you -- for instance -- are looking for information or goods and services.

However, as far as we can see, Yahoo! is still using the Google database as the basis for its own default search results, the main exception being -- as always -- that the Google descriptions are replaced by Yahoo! directory descriptions for sites that are listed in the Yahoo! directory. Hence Yahoo! is actually trying to beat Google by using Google results. If you can't beat them, join them and then beat them.

A CNN article has noted that "Yahoo plans to incorporate Inktomi's tools in to its search engine by year's end." There has bled to some speculation on whether Yahoo! will drop Google results by the end of the year and start using Inktomi search results instead. Actually, by using the word "tools", CNN might just as well be referring to the Inktomi search technology (i.e. the search algorithm) as the search results.

It may seem as a waste of money buying Google's search results when you own Inktomi's search engine database. However, Yahoo! has to make sure that the search engine results are as good as -- or even better than -- Google's. By sticking with Google, Yahoo! gives the impression that they do not think the Inktomi solution is good enough for Yahoo! (which is quite a signal to give to customers using the Inktomi search engine -- MSN comes to mind).

Inktomi has several choices for future development:

• They may continue to use the Google database and search algorithm.
• They may use the Google database, but use the Inktomi technology to sort search results.
• They may mix Google listings with listings from Inktomi, the Yahoo! directory and other databases, and use Inktomi technology to do so.
• They may switch to the Inktomi search engine database and leave Google altogether.

To be honest, we don't know.

The pay per click text ads are from Overture. This is also an area where Yahoo! may consider a new move. Overture has recently bought both AltaVista and AlltheWeb. This means that Overture has its own portals and may compete directly with Yahoo!

Yahoo! recently priced US$750 million in convertible bonds, and may use this money for acquiring an alternative pay per click text ad technology like the ones developed by European Espotting or American FindWhat. They may also develop their own solution in order to compete with Google AdWords and Overture.

The launch of the "new" Yahoo! search engine is not the end of this story, only the beginning.

See also: Yahoo!'s online tour of the new search engine.
The Yahoo! search toolbar.

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