Yahoo Strikes Back - Search Engine Wars: Round Two

Get top rankings on Google: Currently this is the mantra of search engine optimization firms and their customers.

And for good reason: Between distribution deals with Yahoo, Time Warner's America Online and Ask Jeeves and its own site traffic, Google handles roughly 80 percent of all search requests. So a top spot on Google means exposure to millions of customers. In our own analysis Search Engine Optimization Inc has done in-depth web analytics on our clients sits (over 400+) And the results are staggering 75 to 85 percent of search traffic is derived from Google.

Is this all about to change?

Yahoo recently announced that it is dropping Google as its search engine partner in the first quarter of 2004 (current search queries are provided by Google in the section called "TOP WEB RESULTS"). YAHOO, in a play to boost its own earnings through ad sales, added features in its directory and regain mind share as a premier search engine, Yahoo acquired search provider Inktomi back in December of 2003.

Yahoo has now made it official: Inktomi will replace Google as the search engine of choice.

Inktomi uses a crawler based algorithmic search engine technology. Once Inktomi's engine is deployed, Yahoo will give Google a real run for its money. In fact, pundits predict that Google's search traffic will drop to 54 percent, while Yahoo's will jump to 42 percent. Especially in light of the new "HillTop algorithm". The latest shake up from Google's algorithm change has tens of thousands of merchants complaining, this makes perfect timing for YAHOO to step up to the plate and regain market share. SEO Inc also has seen hundreds of posts on the major forums complaining of the "lack of quality results" that appeared after the November 15th hilltop implementation.

What does this mean for companies seeking to optimize their Web properties for search engines?

Google will no longer be the only game in town. Getting top rankings on Yahoo will quickly become of equal importance. The deal between Yahoo and Inktomi also shows how volatile and fast-changing the Internet really is and how vital it is that companies doing business on the Web immediately react to significant changes in the virtual landscape.

Just when the dust will start to settle, watch for MSN to launch is own search technology in the late to early fall. We all know Microsoft's reputation of taking the approach of "sit back and wait" to see if it makes money, than Microsoft and the Gates crew either buy the company or dominate the market to crush their competitors. Microsoft has very "deep pockets" with some of the most talented minds on the planet. Their are billions of dollars on the table in the search arena, Microsoft has just pulled up a chair. Who will be the King of Search? We will have to wait and see.