Yahoo Search is gearing up for a comeback with several signs of recovery. He is not impressed by Google’s dominance in the sector.

Originally, Yahoo Search referred to an interface provided by Yahoo that sent queries to an index of searchable pages complete with a directory of websites. Results are provided to the user under the Yahoo brand. Initially, Yahoo itself did not perform any web crawling or offer any data hosting. In 2001, the searchable index was supported by Inktomi and later by Google until 2004, when Yahoo Search became independent.

In July 2009, Carol Bartz and Steve Ballmer, the heads of Yahoo and Microsoft, signed a 10-year deal in the online search field to unite against Google. Through this agreement, Microsoft can use Yahoo’s Internet search technologies to improve its web services. In addition, Yahoo Search can revolve around the Bing algorithm on its side.

Of course, the two sides kept a way out of changing or even canceling the contract before the chance: the terms of the contract called for discussions to assess the situation after reaching half of this partnership. profit. The two institutions will then have 30 days after February 23, 2015 to renegotiate their contracts.

Yahoo’s current CEO, Marissa Mayer, took the opportunity to do just that. In April of last year, the two institutions were able to reach a new agreement. Yahoo argued that the change gives it more flexibility to improve the search experience on both mobile devices and desktop computers, as the new contract terms eliminate any exclusivity on both mobile and desktop platforms.

Thus, in October 2015, Yahoo signed a partnership agreement with Google on the search market, which will expire in 2018. Yahoo has hinted that Google will serve some results and some ads after searches on Yahoo.

Google will pay Yahoo a percentage of its gross revenue from AFS ads served on Yahoo Properties or Affiliate Sites. The percentage will vary depending on whether the ads are displayed on US desktop sites, non-US desktop sites, or tablet or mobile phone versions of Yahoo Properties or Affiliate Sites. Yahoo will pay Google a fee for queries for image search results or algorithmic web search results.

Yahoo, which just reported quarterly results that beat analysts’ expectations, said in a statement that the deal gives Yahoo more flexibility to choose between search results and ad providers. Google’s offerings complement search services provided by Microsoft, which remains a strong partner, as well as Yahoo’s own search technologies and advertising products.

In July 2018, Microsoft sites drove 24.2% of all search queries in the US. During the same period, Oath (then owner of the Yahoo brand) had an 11.5% share of the search market. Market leader Google generated 63.2% of all major search queries in the US.

Yahoo Search has been criticized for favoring websites owned by Yahoo’s parent company, Verizon Media, in its search results.

In September 2021, investment funds managed by private equity firm Apollo Global Management bought 90% of Yahoo.

Recovery of activities

Earlier this month, Yahoo reactivated Yahoo Search’s Twitter account and then posted a series of messages suggesting its return to search:

Just to remind everyone that we did some research before this was cool. BRB makes it cool again.

In this series of posts, Yahoo has added a job posting:

sent by Job offer

Yahoo is a global media and technology company that connects people to their passions. We reach nearly 900 million people worldwide, bringing them closer to the things they love, from finance and sports to shopping, gaming and news, with trusted products, content and technology that power their day. For partners, we provide a comprehensive platform to drive business growth and create more meaningful relationships across advertising, research and media.

If you are passionate about customers, a creative and analytical thinker, and looking for the thrill of directly impacting users’ search experience, this is the role for you! We are looking for a Search Product Manager at Yahoo. We’re looking for people who want to push beyond the status quo to change the way people interact and use search.

As a Search Product Manager, you will help develop and lead the execution of our search strategy and roadmap. The ideal candidate will use strong organizational skills and deep subject matter expertise to collaborate with design, science, engineering and other key cross-functional teams. You will define what we prioritize for our clients in our search practices and realize the vision. You will also lead efforts to discover and expand content across Yahoo’s broad ecosystem to create new and innovative search experiences across all surfaces and for our search application. The role is also responsible for defining and documenting product and business requirements and taking them from concept to production while working with a wide range of stakeholders including marketing, sales, legal, editorial teams, design, UXR and others.

We’re looking for people who are up for the challenge in a dynamic space to discover and develop experiences that drive deeper engagement and delight users. If this opportunity interests you, come and join us!

Responsibilities:

• Drive user acquisition and engagement by defining, managing and executing product strategy and roadmap across engineering, design, media, marketing, legal teams, editorial and platform
• Introduce, develop, launch, measure and scale innovative new features and products that help achieve defined product and business objectives.
• Leverage research strengths to enhance and discover meaningful experiences in the ecosystem and beyond.
• develop strategy and collaborate with the leadership of the broader consumer products team on overall strategy and execution that drives meaningful progress toward goals
• Identify target users and develop an intimate understanding of their needs and goals
• Empower and lead the team to find optimal design, implementation and functionality to develop and iterate
• Collaborate with the User Research team to continuously review product concepts and designs and discover new product/market opportunities
• Organize agile events with engineering and design teams such as Sprint Planning, Review, Daily Stand-Up, Sprint Reviews and Sprint Retrospective.
• Communicate cross-functionally and effectively across a broad team of senior managers and stakeholders
• Communicate with executives on product, revenue, team, investment and strategy approvals and updates
• Be passionate and driven to encourage the flow of ideas at all levels of the team.
• Manage clear product guidance and coaching Product Managers team youth

The job offer was accompanied by a LinkedIn campaign around the job offer from some senior Yahoo executives, such as:

• Brian Provost, Yahoo’s senior vice president and general manager: There’s going to be a lot of innovation in search in the coming years, and there aren’t many places where you can have such a big impact right away. If you’re passionate about researching and creating product experiences, I’d love to hear from you.
• Karen Chin, Director of Product Management: Want to deliver meaningful and innovative experiences to millions of users? We are looking for an experienced Research Product Manager to take research to the next level! Share and join us.

Tom Thumb

According to the Similarweb Barometer, Google has a 91.15% share of the total search engine market by search volume, and few, if any, search engines come close.

Yahoo took second place with 2.95%. This is quite surprising, as most people would not consider Yahoo a major competitor, given its rapid decline. The most surprising thing is that even though the former is supported by one of the largest technology companies in the world and the latter is no longer often mentioned, Bing could not overtake Yahoo.

Bing matches Yahoo’s 2.95%, but it shows that the search engine still has a long way to go before it can compete with the likes of Google. Yahoo’s decision to abandon the acquisition of Google at an early stage will undoubtedly be a sore point for the company, and it will make successful organizations think more about their acquisition decisions. However, Yahoo actually relies on Bing, and if we add both, we can consider that Bing is 2nd after Google with just over 5.90%.

The Russian search engine Yandex is in third place with a share of 0.47% of the total search volume. Despite being a platform of Russian origin, Yandex has not even managed to achieve a dominant position in its own country. 76.11% of searches in Russia came through Google, suggesting that Google’s ubiquitous status is standing in the way of governments trying to develop local platforms.

Naver is in fourth place with 0.44%. It is a South Korean search engine launched in 1999. It’s not very developed, but it’s still a niche platform for South Koreans. Note the absence of alleged Google killers like Duck Duck Go, whose privacy-focused approach doesn’t resonate with many users around the world.

Sources: Yahoo Careers, Yahoo Search TwitterBrian Provost, Karen Chin

And you?

What do you think ? Is it still possible for Yahoo to reassert itself in today’s largely Google-dominated search engine market?
What search engines are you using in 2023?
Could Bing ChatGPT enhancement as planned by Microsoft change the situation?

See also:

In another security breach, Yahoo announced that more than a billion accounts had been compromised since August 2013
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