Yahoo Now Shows Inktomi Listings

Garrett · #1 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 09:17 AM

We've heard the talk for months, and now they've gone and switched all the way. Yahoo now shows what we assume are Inktomi results, though it could be something of a Google cocktail (if you have thoughts on the results composition please post).

For now, go and play around with the new kid in search. See what you think of the results. Are they relevant? How do they seem to differ from Google's results?

Be sure to leave them feedback if the results you get don't give you the information you're looking for. They'll probably start tracking clicks like Google here before too long.

Their right column ads still appear to be Google's.

minstrel · #2 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 10:02 AM

Excerpt from Axandra:

Quote:

Yahoo has begun to crawl the Internet with a new indexing robot. The new robot, called "Yahoo! Slurp", seems to be a slightly changed version of Inktomi's crawler.

However, the instructions on the Yahoo! Help page indicate that the 'bot is still called slurp:

Quote:

Yahoo! Slurp obeys the Robot Exclusion Standard. Specifically, Yahoo! Slurp adheres to the 1994 Robots Exclusion Standard (RES). Yahoo! Slurp will obey the first entry in the robots.txt file with a User-Agent containing "Slurp". If there is no such record, it will obey the first entry with a User-Agent of "*".

Disallowed documents, including slash (the home page of the site), are not indexed, nor are links in those documents followed. Yahoo! Slurp does read the home page at each site and uses it internally, but if it is disallowed it is neither indexed nor followed. Example robots.txt:

User-agent: Slurp
Disallow: /cgi-bin/

Mel · #3 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 10:46 AM

Sorry Garrett, but I am still seeing Google results on Yahoo search.

minstrel · #4 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 10:55 AM

I'm definitely seeing different results at Yahoo than at Google.

Garrett · #5 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 11:01 AM

Doh! I should have taken a screenshot! (bad search reporter, bad!)

I just now searched (11am est, 0217) and saw different results in Google and Yahoo for the term "cars," but identical results for the term "bicycle."

It could be that Yahoo! doesn't yet reflect the Brandy "update?"

Thoughts?

minstrel · #6 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 11:21 AM

No, Garrett - it may be that Yahoo! is still testing and therefore switching back and forth, but the results I just saw for search phrases relevant to my website were NEVER on Google - or at least certainly not within the last 3-4 years.

BOBW · #7 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 11:59 AM

It seemed as though I was benefitting at YAHOO from my high rankings at google - then boom! I guess YAHOO dropped listings from Google last night sometime...2/16/04

Slurp · #8 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 12:37 PM

Garrett Said "Their right column ads still appear to be Google's."

Tim responded: The ads on the right are Overture listings. All the sponsored links on Yahoo have always been Overture and never Google. This is not a change.

doctordoodledoo · #9 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 04:37 PM

Depends on which browser you use. If you use Internet Explorer, you get the Inktomi results. But if you use Mozilla or any of its offshoots (like Netscape), you still get Google results.

Inktomi results suck. They are totally irrelevant. The more google is moving towards the "authority" sites in presenting the search results, the more inktomi seems to be dishing out "non-authority" sites (like geocities pages, univ student temp pages etc.)

vjm1 · #10 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 05:25 PM

It was Inktomi for a little while today but now it is back to Google, I saw it, it was Inktomi with a twist, but I liked it. I feel Google is not worth much since its last update, checking the 64....ip I get almost useless results for any local searches and even most national searches.

I have a company that sells forklifts that can't be found for any of its phrases, in fact if you search on a phrase like say forklifts you get all kinds of .govs in the top 10, 3 in fact, they weren't there before Florida, last update there were only 2.gov sites, real useful, good job Google. Seems like Florida extended even more on Google. I can't wait for Yahoo to Switch. Please hurry. We need a engine we can all live and work with.

This new ranking system on Google is very odd. Once it affects you, you are done. Has anyone regained their rankings since they were taken out. I have not regained any rankings that I have lost. No Spam, good content, good links, gone, so hurry up Yahoo.

If you did get them back what did you do, I have decided not to touch my sites, they rank high on all the other engines, can't live and die by Google alone.

When Google gets relevent again I will look at it, till then I could care less what it does.

Thanks for the opportunity to vent my frustration with Google.

bhuckster · #11 (**permalink**) 02-17-2004, 07:36 PM

I first saw them on Saturday morning. They were there this morning but they're gone again. From what I saw, I really liked it. They looked similar to MSN but the SERPS weren't exactlly the same.

Since I got totally trashed in Google, I can't wait for them to come back. If Google doesn't straighten out their act, IMO they're just handing search back to Yahoo!

Garrett, by the way, the ads on Yahoo are from Overture. I know because advertise with both Overture and Google.

Runawayrentals · #12 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 01:22 AM

I guess the fight is on! Yahoo officially dropped google.....

The change occurred at 9:30 PST Tuesday when Yahoo relaunched the search properties for its U.S.-based sites, including its Yahoo.com flagship home page. Yahoo replaced Google's results with its own Yahoo Search Technology, which combines an array of recently acquired search technologies, such as Inktomi and commercial search provider Overture Services. Overture also owns AltaVista and the Web search technology of Fast Search and Transfer.

cbp · #13 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 01:44 AM

Quote:

I guess the fight is on! Yahoo officially dropped google.....

I found that hard to believe this when I first read it - but just checked Yahoo ... tried several searches - refreshed heaps of times ... not once did I get Google results.... not that I complain - I got number one spots for ALL my sites main keywords ... can't get that on Google .... think I party tonite :-)

CBP

cbp · #14 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 02:04 AM

Hang on a minute....

The results I am seeing on Yahoo are definite not Google, but its also NOT Inktomi.

I use this site for Inktomi searches:

CBP

Mel · #15 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 02:30 AM

Hi CBP
Yes I agree that the new Yahoo results kind of resemble the Inktomi results on MSN, but they are both different than the "pure" Inktomi search but with similarities in the top ten sites for all three.

They are all three being kind to some of my favorite search terms so I'm not going to complain.

karkfump · #16 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 02:45 AM

I guess you guys gave me the heads up with the news that Yahoo was planning on the switch so I paid Position Tech to get listed with Inktomi about 2 weeks ago, and now I am listed at #12 and #14 for "alaska hunts." The new Yahoo results returned 19 legitimate Alaska hunting businesses in the first 20 results, which is pretty good if you ask me.

cbp · #17 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 04:09 AM

Big news:

Quote:

Yahoo is rolling out a brand new search engine today, with its own index and ranking mechanisms

Quote:

In a surprising move, Yahoo isn't replacing Google with Inktomi. Rather, the company has developed a brand new search engine

Search Engine Watch article.

CBP

rambodog · #18 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 11:09 AM

As others have noted, the Yahoo results are unique to other search portals. And...for many of the searches I have tried the searches are pulling up sites with appropriate optimization for the terms searched (relevant keywords and contextual content).

Still early to tell but so far Yahoo is returning "more useful" results to the business oriented searches I have tried than Google is with it's "informational site bias".

Thumbs up to Yahoo and if Microsoft will get it in gear we'll have a horse race.

WebAndrey · #19 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 12:38 PM

Results began super. My site has appeared on the first page Yahoo (before it{him} in general there was not)

P.S. I apologize for bad English:)

Jan Shepherd · #20 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 03:54 PM

Have you tried searching at Yahoo in the last few hours?

It would seem the new generation cometh....check out the returns on a given search term, and contrast against Google...doesn't that look like more pages to you?

davidshq · #21 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 04:12 PM

I did a quick search for "civil war" on Yahoo! and turned up around 15,600,000 results while the same search on Google showed up 7 million. Could this imply that Yahoo! is using both Google and Inktomi results?
Respectfully,
David.

Jan Shepherd · #22 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 04:20 PM

they've taken everything in Inktomi, everything in Alta Vista, everything in Overture and added it together....

I'm thoroughly enjoying this!!

After Florida, Austin and Brandy, this is fun!

cbp · #23 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 04:29 PM

http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=14167

mctwofist · #24 (**permalink**) 02-18-2004, 06:56 PM

In response to Yahoo's recent Inktomi merge. All I've seen are my results drop from several top 10 rankings to out of the top 35. Thats 20 searches that have completely disappeared. I am not a happy SEO camper. Google stats moved slightly but nothing close to this Inktomi shit.

This was why I stopped using MSN as an indicator was because of their association with the pay sites ie. Inktomi, etc. Plus, their returns were completely whacked in terms of relevant material and quality sites.

So don't tell me Yahoo's taking over the world when all they're really doing is pulling a 'pay for use' reach around. Stick with the Google and be one with yourself.

a.h.mctwofist