According to a Nielsen//Netratings study, Google holds the top spot for search engine destinations. However, if you take a closer look at N//N’s findings, you see that Yahoo and MSN share the second and third positions, respectively. Because MSN search is still using Overture to serve their search results more people are vicariously using the Yahoo method of search than they do Google.

What search results do you prefer or find more relevant? Yahoo/Overture or Google?

To most in the search industry, it is common knowledge that Google values “off-page” optimization (backlinks, in-bound links), while Yahoo seems to prefer on-page optimization (title tags, keyword density). Although there are some indications that Yahoo is placing more value on links.

This topic of search engine preference has been discussed extensively. In this WebProWorld forum thread, a comment about using both engines equally and receiving satisfactory results was made, leading to a discussion about the relevancy of Google’s results. Poster Downstrike had these thoughts:

“Time was - and it was quite some time - Google was the best place to do most any search. The kind of people who send spam to our Inboxes quickly realized that sending spam to our search results was even better.

[In this regard,] Google's reaction [has been similar to] email networks trying to filter out virus messages. For several months earlier this year, they were filtering out more legitimate emails with attachments than viruses… If you want to see all of the best results, you'll need to get a second opinion. In your case, it's Yahoo.”

Several forum participants share Strike’s opinion with comments like; “Google is slowly dropping the ball” and “I agree that Google is not the same it used to be”.

Yahoo’s results didn’t necessarily receive the highest marks either. On ihelpyou, moderator Chrishirst said, “IMO, Yahoo results seem to be more about the $$$ than relevancy and notably the same site doesn't even appear in the first couple of hundred results at Google.” If you take a quick scan of the SEO forums, the Yahoo categories are littered with topics like, “I’ve just lost all my Yahoo listings. Please help.” These situations indicate that each engine still has some growing pains to work through.

Which set of results do you find more useful? In the WebProWorld discussion, Venividi summed the state of search results quite nicely, “Normal sites are buried deep beyond the first 6 to 10 pages. Google and Yahoo have become a list of portals and other search engines, which is really a waste of time.”

To be fair, Google results aren’t the only ones being taken to task. In a post on WebmasterWorld, Isitreal offered a scathing evaluation of search engine users, “Who uses Yahoo/MSN? People who don't change their default browser search settings. IE is set to MSN. Yahoo website users [use Yahoo search], and that portal [has] heavy traffic… People who know nothing about search engines, and just [search with] what they're used to.”

Another poster on WebProWorld defends Google, saying, “Until MSN and Yahoo can update their results daily (like Google does) they will not compare to the big G.” However, the point made about results updating is disputed in the HighRankings forum, where Semko says, “Yahoo search results are very dynamic, they get updated nearly every second, as tons of info are constantly added to Yahoo.” The truth undoubtedly lies somewhere in between.

With the increased search engine bot activity Google and Yahoo may be trying to streamline their indexes in order to root out spam and provide more relevant results. In the end, it comes down to preference. The search engine gives you the results you are looking for, no matter your level of experience, is likely to be the one you use.

The question remains, which engine gives you these results?

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Former WebProWorld Admin

I used to use Google exclusively. However, lately too many searches have come up with the first page all sites with nothing but a list of text links with people's or companies' names and no relevant information. I am starting to use Yahoo more and more.

With Google, if I am looking for site in Oregon and include that in the first two search terms, I can get another state in the first three results. How relevant is that? It's frustrating!

I have returned to my old favorite Yahoo in the past year. Mostly for some of the non web search features and that I spend most of my life working Google's ever moving target for my business.

A site that I've recently completed for a client - ToffeeDelight.com - is still not showing up in Google - I've optimized for keywords and relevancy - and watch my logs for crawlers - in putting in Toffee Delight in Yahoo - it comes up second - which I consider to be a relevant search - Toffee Delight would not be a common search term - Google of course, "knows" it's there toffeedelight - results in www.toffeedelight.com - no information - My client was upset because after 1 month google hadn't indexed it -- I didn't even see where the Yahoo robot visited the site - but Inktomi Slurp, AskJeeves, and multiple "unknowns" have been there - that makes Yahoo better in my book - I hate scrolling through all the "affiliate links" and pages "optimized" with irrelevant keywords - Yahoo used to be my engine and I'm going back - bet I'll find what i want much faster :) (I DID submit to Google as well)

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Lorri Nevil
KaelinWeb.com
FreeStuffAndBargains.com
GetAScript.com

I find that any search engine finds what it is looking for.
In my 1 year of webpage optimization, I have found that with all search engines, page content and outbound links are more relevant than inbound links. Anyone can linkfarm, just like banner farm. The links are totally irrelevant. Use any search engine to search for the third most researched term "find someone for free anywhere in the world". You will always find one of my sites at nr1. This search term was just my choice. I can do it with any search engine for any search term. To me it is just a hobby for amusemant purposes only. It must really annoy people who are wanting to make big bucks from other people.
I can hit nr1 on google within 1 hour. Try me and see how it works!!

i think i will go with Moonwind , i experience the same sort of problem alot of times in google.In earlier days i never even bothered to look up the next search result pages but now i do have to look at them as well sometimes cause the most relevant results sometimes are lying there, simply because other sites arent linking to them enough, quite unfair i think.

So sometimes i turn to Yahoo for my searches,although my homepage is set to google.

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Visit My Blog

Me too... Yahoo...

I find that Google's not providing the best results anymore, and I'm seeing too much garbage before the relevant links appear...
Yahoo seems to have a better algorithm.. maybe that's why Google keeps changing theirs? Yahoo's results seem to be more targeted... I also like the little "open new window" icons, so I don't have to hit my back button to get back to my results again...

Is this because of the paid inclusion? Do those sites that pay for inclusion actually make the results better?

So I guess the ??? is whether your se of choice is looking for what you are asking it to look for...

I mean really, I do search for a living, still use google at least as much as all the other se's combined... but thank goodness there are alternatives to the big "G" because its been a *&^%# of a long time since I could rely on google results alone (google serps are littered with spam, affiliate sites, commercial "buy now" crap sites when i want real information, and sites that have *&^%# all to do with my query because some jack ass thought there was some real advantage to bringing his site up for terms that had nothing to do with anything about his site - man i hate it when that happens!)

You may have something here. Like many, i put great emphasis on an abundance of quality content (generally well themed within a single domain), but unlike many who post, i also put great emphasis on my out going links.

But you can't be serious when you say that "with all search engines, outbound links are more relevant than inbound links". Can you please elaborate...

As for your comment that anyone can "link farm" and that the links are totally irrelevant... well of course links from a "link farm" are worse than irrelevant, they'll off topic most of the time and they'll get you the kind of se attention you don't want... something anyone in seo should understands, and if they don't then they are in the wrong business. I don't think that anyone was suggesting the use of "link farms" as a means of building link popularity or PR.

Wow, what arrogance!

Just a hobby for amusement purposes? Then you need a new hobby. I mean really, i like my job and i enjoy the challenge, but its hard bloody work and i can't imagine someone doing it as a hobby... less they didn't have a life.

This i gotta see... ha ha!


Your Truly... Stretch Dog!

; -)))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


PS... Where did you get the idea that "find someone for free anywhere in the world" is the third most searched term.... Google turned up a whole 6 results for the query... ???

Man, now that's some competitive term to be optimizing for isn't it... good job artemist!

How many of those six sites where yours again.... lol

This is an article I read back in march which is very informative and brought me up to speed on some of Yahoo's major changes.

Yahoo! has announced it is dropping Google as its search engine and is going to crawl the web to provide its own search results. This is being cast as a competition and, of course, it is. It is also a crucial step in making the internet even more useful. If Yahoo! is ambitious, this may be the moment when the real power of the net is multiplied.
http://www.techcentralstation.com/032904E.html

Voo
http://www.vision32.com/Default.aspx

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Vision32 Dev
ASP.NET, JavaScript Tutorials, V32 Link Exchange

So don't use it except as a back up.

No bloody kidding. It's true that Google has lots a stuff in their index, but what good is it when so much of it is irrelevant garbage... it's like satalite tv... hundreds of channels of crap on the tube instead of just a few...

Ya ya, Ya-hoooo! is great which says lots for the way it was back in the good old days... lol

There are lots of good alternative se's out there, and apparently more every day (picked up new one right here today), and lets face it, who care if they don't have 6 billion pages in their index so long as what they do have is relative to your query... right?

With so many alternative choices out there, maybe we ought to break the "G" spot habit and support some of the new kids on the block.

Stretch Dog has left the building....

Cheers stretch dog!
So, I'm not losing my mind! :)

well, so much for Google's new algorithm, and Yahoo's fees... least the results are better.

I find it difficult to believe any one can say Google outs out relevant results today.

For a year I was in the number one spot in Google for my search term. (graphic design sarasota) Then about 8 months ago I was totally dropped from the term, not from the index, just the term. Google could not give me a valid reason for this. Then I showed up around position 500.

For that same time I had also climbed to the top three or four in every search engine out there. Today I am still at the top of every search engine but those who use Google.

After eight months of redesign and reoptimization I have fought my way back to around 250 in Google. Even for the term "unified graphic design" and "unified graphic design sarasota" I don't show up for a few pages. what could possibly be more relevant for the term "unified graphic design" than a website with that exact URL?

My opinion? Google did something to their algorithms to make corporate investors happy and screwed it up for the little guys. I don't use them hardly at all anymore and will take any chance I can to bash them.

Give me Yahoo, Teoma, or info.com anyday.

I still use Google but am also swinging towards Yahoo now.

Tested it and Yahoo gave me better results. So I reckon in time Google will realize they made a mistake somewhere and do something.

Maybe the second bot they are sending out now causing so much discussion in these forums is just doing that - I also tend to think they are rebuilding something.

If the search engines cannot render relevant results, there is no use using them so they will definitely loose their market share in time which will not impress their investors.

So I hope they do something soon as I always liked the Google engine.

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Online marketing South Africa
Bulk SMS / streaming SMS software & gateway integration tools

The problem is the amount of mega catch-all directories sitting at the top of the SERPs in Google. From a personal search point of view I absolutely hate this. I've searched for something, I don't expect to have to search again (and in some cases again, when the search throws up a directory of directories).

But that's just my whinge. I don't agree with posters who see a conspiracy in this (though I don't blame you for seeing it), my feeling is that Google has taken its corporate eye off the ball, simple as that.

I'm not terribly disappointed 'cause I never liked the 'idea' of Google in the first place. Some sort of hip, counter-culture, groovy organisation.

"started up by two students, don't you know"

"a really cool place to work"

"they don't care about the money", etc. ad infinitum.

Well you could have fooled me, an SE that was (note the tense) a lifestyle choice, revolting idea.

pne

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Hi,
I no longer bother with Yahoo or Google for searches.
I find IX Quick Meta Search far better:
http://ixquick.com/

It searches multiple engines and only supplies the most relevant listings.
Generally you will only see around 30 websites relevant to your search as opposed to thousands or even millions on Yahoo or Google.

Regards,
Ken Webb
CEO Viral Marketing
http://www.kwebb.co.uk

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It is very clear to me that somehow, somewhere in the vast depth of Google's PhDs doing engineering on search algorithms, something significant has changed for the worst.

I started noticing it about 1 year ago and since that time the Google results have been getting oddly different. I can't quite pin it down - is it page rank? results? quality of links?

I'm glad to see that others have noticed as well. I have started mentioning this to my friends and clients and they are agreeing with me. I have changed all of my home page searches back to Yahoo and currently love the results.

I'm sad because I thought Google was the greatest for so many years.

Most of my sites always ranked #1 in Google, basically they are official hotel sites but lately Google seems to have lost it tracks. What is it happening to Google?

Example: searching for: bellsouth - Bellsouth webiste http://www.bellsouth.com should come first and IT DOES. The same apply when you search major companies such as Coca-Cola, HP, Pepsi-Cola, GM... (no text or keyword density), they all come up in first. My question is: why small websites do not show up in first place when the web address matches 100% with the searching string? why? And why the big guys do? In order for medium and small websites to show, we must have lost of text, back links, keyword density and just GOD knows what else? I always believed that the search engine was created to help ME and YOU find things easier and better....ARE
GOOGLE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT OF SEARCHING??????

I read all the time that in order to rank within the top or sometimes to even been listed in Google you need to follow some recommendations, such as: keyword density, meta tag, back links, "good context"..."don't do this", don't do that"...in my opinion, Google doesn't know what it is doing, now more than ever and I will explain why.

If I go to Google and search for BEACHES AROUND THE WORLD, I expect to see results of beaches around the world and NO mountains around the world. So, based on this, if I go to Google and search for pants, I expect to see pants and not skirts but not in Google. Another example, everybody knows the difference between hotel brands, 4 stars, 5 stars, limited service...: Holiday Inn, Days Inn, Hampton Inn, Hilton, Hyatt...right? Yes but Google DOESN'T.
In my opinion I consider a good website a website that will provide the information which I requested, if good contents, strong keyword densidy, no dead links, no advertising, no non-sense links...my time is valuable and I don't want to waste it.

But if you go to Google and search for Hampton Inn & Suites Tallahassee, I will expect to see results within the Hampton Inn or Hampton Inn & Suites hotels, WELL NOT IN GOOGLE, I got everything else just ONE HAMPTON INN, believe me I got QUALITY INN, MICROTEL ?!?!, BEST WESTERN...uuuhhhh, at least all in Tallahassee, oh nooooooo, SAN FRANCISCO?!?! Is that a little too far away from Florida?!?!?
Do you unsderstand what I mean?....Do you understand now?....

Try the same search in Yahoo and you will see the results....most of all Hampton Inns and Hampton Inns & Suites, all in Tallahasee or at least in Florida...GOOD YAHOO!!!

Don't waste anytime with Google, MOVE ON, go to YAHOO....incentive the good guys, we are the users, we have the power, WE MAKE what they are and if they don't care just move on and make Yahoo the best.

Sorry to drop this long text but for the past year I am SICK of GOOGLE!!!

Tks, Carla

I have always used YAHOO over GOOGLE. Hotbot used to be my favorite until they got messed up in GOOGLE.
I just seem to get better results when searching for the type of information that I am looking for with Yahoo.

Another plus is Yahoo keeps pages in Cache which allows me to check out articles that may be out of date with GOOGLE. That to me is a plus since it allows for a different layer of research.

As far as, getting my clients to the top of the pile in search engines, I always have more success with Yahoo than Google. I for one don't have the time to get my client's pages linked at other company websites, just so GOOGLE can move them up the list.

Yahoo is NUMBER ONE in my BOOK. My company page is located at www.productivityresources.biz

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Web Page Designer with a Productivity Development Company in Canada which produces Courses in Lean Manufacturing, Entrepreneurship and Leadership