Yahoo increase - google decrease

[fraggle]

Who has noticed a rise in referals from Yahoo and Alta and slight decrease in Google recently?

[DangerDave]

No

DD

[Linkster]

Definitely not - have seen a slight increase in Google in the last 2 days due to the SERPs mini update

[Bill]

Sure took a while to get this page to load...

I have seen an increase in AV traffic, based on the spot checking I've been doing in the past week, as compared to a few months back. I like AV traffic, I wouldn't mind seeing it get better.

[Kush]

I've had gains in both, but significantly bigger gains from yahoo

[fraggle]

Well Yahoo has been pushing TV advertising in the states

recently (apparently good ads too) but i have no idea why AV is

up - yahoo owns them - connected perhaps??
Maybe just an algo change swinging it a little.

[xxxjay]

Yahoo is probably advertising because they are about to switch to Inktomi, which will make their SERPs suck 150 pound bags of dick and call it a light lunch.

Trying to Optimize for Inktomi is a nightmare because it is so imprecise, plus if you want to make sure that you pages get listed and stay listed in Inktomi - you better get ready to pony up some cash.

Inktomi testing on yahoo has already started in the UK. The yahoo gravy train is nearing it's end.

[Linkster]

Jay - they're also already using some weird mix on engines/SERPs on their single search terms that are highly competitive - Im still trying to track down where the results are coming from but it definitely isn't Inktomi, Altavista or Alltheweb (or Google) Its some weird concoction of their directory listings with an algo applied

And thats for all searches not just UK on those single word terms

[xxxjay]

I haven't really had time to check it out. How about Overture? They have a deal with Yahoo.

If Yahoo was smart they would stick with Google, just because the quality of the results is so much better. Yahoo really has just become a glorified front end for Google, but the average searcher does not know that - or you could look at it like Yahoo is a clutter Google.

Hotbot is Inktomi. Try to find any info you want on that peice of shit.

I haven't had to oprimize of inktomi in a while and I'm not looking forward to it.

[AussieWebmaster]

Yahoo uses Google for it's free searches and Overture for its sponsored listings (no more no less)... they extended with Google so it is not going to change.

MSN is using Looksmart with a little Inktomi and Fast thrown in until they change Jan. 15th... so better get set over at Inktomi now to get worked through their system.

Google is Google... get halp with a Yahoo directory listing and a DMOZ listing but they look at serious links.. ie. PR pages relevant to the keywords... any old referal will not help... so do a Google search and start getting links (named for the keyword) from them.

example <a href="Your domain page optimzied for keyword">Keyword</a>

[Linkster]

Originally posted by AussieWebmaster
Yahoo uses Google for it's free searches and Overture for its sponsored listings (no more no less)... they extended with Google so it is not going to change.

I dont normally disagree here but in this case this is incorrect - Yahoo is not exclusively using Google for their free search anymore - it is very evident if you do a search for the very highly competitive single word keywords - for two word phrases and less competitive words they are still using Google, although some in the UK have reported Inktomi results in the free search in the last two weeks - Yahoo has been testing a separate results database over there - and it occasionally shows up in the US searches. As far as extending with Google - I would have to guess that will only be until Google IPO at which point Yahoo will no longer be bound to that-and may choose, per that extension, at any time to discontinue using Googles results since they are paying for them - I would take a wild guess that Yahoo is gearing up for its split within the next two months based on the ad campaigns and testing they are doing - but then if I was a good guesser on the future I'd be a lot richer right now

[AussieWebmaster]

not for the words i use in the real world... am going to check for adult terms

[Linkster]

news
Next to the last paragraph - and I have another from August that talks about UK and other locations

[Linkster]

Well - here's a real easy example - again this is only true in competitive phrases that I go for - if it has less than 10 million serps its not competitive in my eyes anyway:

furniture on yahoo

furniture on Google

and the terms I compete for are in the 250 million results so mine are really skewed between the two

Terms that are not competitive down around 4 or 5 million results seem to be matching between the two

[AussieWebmaster]

I have seen some variations for single adult terms and maybe there are for the very broad terms in regular but the single words I use inb the financial area are the same in yahoo and google... so maybe it depends on the terms...
look at forex in both they are the same.

[AussieWebmaster]

Yahoo does take out the dups when a site is listed back to back but to different pages

[fraggle]

they are definatelyaking changes/testing in prep for 'the big change' im surprised that i havnt seen / indentified a test bot coming round as development for inktomi as their results are pretty poor.

Anyone think Yahoo may have plans to bring alta vista into its serps?

[Linkster]

It would be nice if they did bring in AV - but I dont think its gonna happen - they may import some of the algo and filters in AV to Inktomi though which is probably what they are testing right now - as well as the rest of the spiders/algos they own

[fraggle]

I really hope they do
i cant see much other alternative unless they are being quiet about it. Anyway im sure when they spent over 1$bn on overture they thought AV would be a good test platform for a new algo.

i think i will spend some more time watching AV

[AussieWebmaster]

It seems like Inktomi will get all the slack LookSmart has lost... they will be doing MSN too....

[Linkster]

Just my opinion here - but I doubt seriously if Inktomi will have anything to do with MSN after MS rolls out there new search engine - have already seen their new bot spidering my domains - and look to see them (especially with the new hire they just made) to compete on a 3 way basis with Google and Yahoo - and might just win since they will be able to put it into IE as an appliance

[fraggle]

MSN already use inktomi as the backend (tertiary) results

maybe they will bring on imktomi after dropping Looksmart for a short period of time but i would be surprised if they use them long term. I think it depends whether they stay/are allowed to bid in the search market for another company + they have been testing their own bot for months.

[fraggle]

i agree Linkster - theywould effectively be using their main competitors back end resulst to supply them

MS will be relient on new verions on windows pushing their search feature - with improved results - the results may be extenernal to begin although i suspect they have their algo sorted and need a database to work. This will be dependant on their success (or not) in purchasing a system (just like they have tried to get Google over the past few months).
I cnat see too many people tking this Deskbar feature too seriously either - google's is pretty bad and i cnat see MSN's being much better.

[Linkster]

Just remember that 95% of the people using the web are not WMs or have much savvy when it comes to really digging around for stuff - they either fire up their ISPs software (Earthlink, AOL whatever) or they have a homepage set to Yahoo,Excite or any of the other wonderful portal pages. The real competition for searchers is at this level - and I can guarantee that my mother-in-law is going to use whatever search appliance is "installed" for her when she connects to the internet - no matter what the quality is - either that or she's gonna remember the tv ad about Yahoo or the fact that her favorite character on "As the Stomach Turns" googled somebody Thats where the base money is for these comapanies - not in what we think the best quality SE is for "spam" results or filtering/ranking concepts.

[AussieWebmaster]

I agree the vast majority of people use google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL but where their results comne from is important on one level.
And the more selective higher converting searches of other engines can be good for the right market.
Adult stuff works well at some and not others... MSN thinks it is not worth pursuing and give it to nightsurfer which is drekk...