Search engine shakeups! Yahoo, Google, and Inktomi

I posted about a month ago that Yahoo! had divorced Google and was now showing results that appeared to match Inktomi results. Nobody else in my office was getting the same set of search results at that time. I continued to get the "revised" results for a week, and then was seeing the same thing as everyone else.

Although this was a bit frustrating, it's not actually that uncommon. As any search engine professional knows, new search algorithms and indexing schemes are frequently debuted on just a few servers in their early phases, probably for testing and refining. I had hopes that what I was seeing would appear for the general public before too long, a hope that seemed bolstered a couple of weeks later when one of our clients called to ask me why he was seeing different Yahoo! web search results than anyone else in his office (he liked the new results better, and was hoping everyone else would see them). He too saw the different results for a few days, and then was discouraged to see the old results reappear.

The change has now apparently become official. Users worldwide are now reporting that their Yahoo! web search results no longer match Google, but instead seem to tally closely with Inktomi listings (mine do too). It would seem that Yahoo! has confirmed all of the rumors and formally made a split from using Google results, and Inktomi is stepping up. The results seen on Yahoo! closely match those on HotBot and MSN web pages, both known to use Inktomi on a primary or secondary level.

Google has just completed yet another change to their ranking algorithm, to be rolled out over the next few days. Yet another step at refining the massive overhaul from last November (the "Florida update"), the latest change seems to follow the hot trend in search engine indexing: Site popularity. Google seems to be taking a hard look at backlinks, rewarding sites for relevant, popular links from sites with high Alexa ranking, while disregarding or even penalizing link farms. This was a widely anticipated move, and falls smoothly in line with Google's policy of attempting to offer their users the most valid, useful and relevant search results possible out of the staggering number of pages that populate the web today. Various new looks for Google's home page and search results are starting to appear at random times and places, a pretty good sign that more changes on all levels can be expected over the next few weeks or months.

So what does this all mean, in practical terms? For most webmasters, Yahoo's new search results are a blessing, particularly in light of all the Google shakeups over the past few months, along with the high probability of continuing instability in the near future. The Inktomi database seems to follow a relatively straightforward indexing scheme, both user-friendly and SEO-friendly. Searchers, confused by the daily or even hourly changes that has plagued Yahoo! web search, will likely also appreciate the increased stability. Although Inktomi is as prone as any other automated spider to being exploited, their results do seem relatively spam-free, so users should be pleased with the quality of the search results that they find.

For Google fans, it means yet another phase of growth toward what will hopefully be a more streamlined and less spammed database. Google will also probably attempt to establish itself in new contexts wherever possible, to compensate for losing the Yahoo listings. Google will most likely remain a very popular search engine for many web surfers, who appreciate the ease of use and the broad range of search results. Google is working to make themselves even more versatile and friendly (with the exception of their blogger service, which is very unpopular in some circles for using Atom instead of RSS), to hold their audience. I'll be curious to see what Google looks like in about 6 months!

SEO tip for the week: Stick to the basics! These changes illustrate the need to practice sound SEO. The only sure thing right now is that things will keep changing. SEO tricks and strategies come and go, but there are underlying constants that always remain, the very basics of web site optimization. Don't be dazzled by the latest "tricks", which might not be such a treat in the long run. Practice conservative SEO, and you'll probably weather the storms!