Yahoo was once considered to be the premier search engine on the internet, controlling much of the market of not only search, but also news, shopping, and most other aspects that have grown on the internet. As of late, however, Yahoo has seemed to have fallen off at least in the realm of search technology, losing it’s top tier and sharing the lesser half of the market with MSN. The leader has become Google, there is no question of that, but does that mean that Yahoo is any less of a search engine? Well the simple answer to that is no…and yes.
When it comes to searching the internet, the results that appear when searching are regarded as the best way to see if an engine is using a good algorithm. The results that come up on Google, tend to be relatively clutter free, as in having a definite lack of spam sites, or sites that redirect the user to another page. Google prides themselves on keeping their results clean, and has frustrated more then one would be spammer with their constantly updating filters. Yahoo on the other hand…let’s just say that some of the sites that come up during a search might not be of such a reputable source. That is not to say that Yahoo doesn’t change it’s filters, it does of course just not nearly as much as Google. There have been rumors of a revamp of Yahoo’s entire search engine, but at the time this article was written, Yahoo has yet to make good on their promise.
It is easy to see that Google is the king search engine, especially when it is widely known that Yahoo has, and seems to be continuing to, use Google’s search results as filler. That basically means that they come up with their own results ( that are powered by Inktomi’s engine) and fill in the latter and deeper pages with Google’s results. It is hard to believe that a site is number one in an area when they use their competitors product.
Searching on Yahoo is not a complete waste of time, however. In fact, for some searches you may find what you are looking for faster on Yahoo then on Google. It is different with every search, but if you are having a hard time finding a specific item on Google, it may be wise to check over at Yahoo to see what they have to say. Their results might not always be good, but for some searches they can be superior to the giant.
Yahoo, like Google, also offers many services besides search. Yahoo news is still a great place to check out what is going on in the world, and the Yahoo directory is a great place to find something by category. Their e-mail program is still one of the most popular, but may be dethroned once again by Google’s new G-Mail. To compete, Yahoo has upped the capacity of their premium subscribers dramatically. This service, although costing a few dollars a year, gives you access to likely more storage space then you will ever need, and is a good way to archive your mail and data (at least until G-Mail launches).
As far as search goes, Yahoo has been dethroned, and for good reason to. Unless they decide to spend as much time on their algorithm and filters as Google, then they will most likely stay in the second tier of the search section.
Google:Google is the behemoth of the search world. One can not seem to go anywhere on the net without seeing either links to Google, or ads provided by Google on the side of web pages. Google soon will become a public company (or may already be when you read this) and talk of there stock soaring is on the lips of many tech traders. The reason that Google has become the name in search is simple…they are constantly changing and tinkering with their already great algorithm to make sure that the results that they post are the best, bar none. When comparing Google’s results with those of it’s major competitors, it is easy to see that their algorithm is the best, with results that clearly match the keywords being searched. The interface is simple as well, and unlike their competitors, Google doesn’t clutter their home page with unnecessary news or information. They keep their site set up for search because that is what they realize their specialty is.
Newbie.net highly recommends using Google, and if you use Internet Explorer, it may be wise to download the free Google Toolbar. This nice add on to the browser not only automatically blocks those nasty pop-ups, but also includes easy access to Google search with a search box conveniently located within the browser. There are other features that are available as well, such as PageRank and built in navigation to certain important sites, but the general user probably won’t use these more complex tools. The Google Toolbar is a definite must have for anyone who uses Google, if not the web in general.
Besides search, Google also offers other features such as an image only search, a web board search called groups, news located on a dedicated page, Froogle shopping, and an open source web directory called DMOZ which is updated and run by volunteers from across the world. Google soon plans to launch a mail service called “G-Mail” which will offer, for free, a gig of space to archive messages and files. This has prompted servers such as yahoo to up their space for premium users. Once available, Google’s G-Mail should be a force to be reckoned with in the e-mail world.
All in all Google is not only a great search engine (the best if you ask me) but also a great place for many other areas of the web. Don’t be afraid to search and explore all of the areas that Google has to offer, but remember that it’s main strength is it’s awesome searching power.
The Others
The rest of the search engines (MSN, Ask, Lycos, etc) are all decent places to find results, but pale in comparisson to the big two. If you feel like going against the grain, or being a rebel without a cause, then check out what they are throwing out over at the other sites, but don't expect to get the precise and highly filtered results that you are used to getting from the big two.
*MSN has recently released a new search engine and it is still up in the air on how the results will compare to Google and Yahoo. We will update the site accordingly once it has been tested and approved by the Newbie team.