WebProNews

Tag: Search Engine

  • Ahrefs Launching Yep, a Content Creator and Privacy Focused Search Engine

    Ahrefs Launching Yep, a Content Creator and Privacy Focused Search Engine

    Ahrefs, the company known for making SEO tools, is getting into the search engine game with Yep, a search engine focused on privacy and content creators.

    Google is by far the most dominant search engine on the market, with Bing a distant second. Despite Google’s dominance, or perhaps because of it, alternative options are becoming increasingly popular. DuckDuckGo and Brave are two examples of search engines that protect user privacy, and Ahrefs’ Yep is about to be another.

    According to TechCrunch, Ahrefs has invested $60 million of its own capital into developing Yep. What’s more, the company is building on its years of crawling the web for its SEO business. The company says its crawler can visit 8 billion web pages per 24 hours.

    “Creators who make search results possible deserve to receive payments for their work. We saw how YouTube’s profit-sharing model made the whole video-making industry thrive. Splitting advertising profits 90/10 with content authors, we want to give a push towards treating talent fairly in the search industry,” said Ahrefs founder and CEO, Dmytro Gerasymenko. “We do save certain data on searches, but never in a personally identifiable way. For example, we will track how many times a word is searched for and the position of the link getting the most clicks. But we won’t create your profile for targeted advertising.”

    If Ahrefs is able to deliver on its promise of privacy, combined with giving content creators the lion’s share of the profits, it may well have a winner on its hands in Yep.

    In the meantime, users can try out Yep here.

  • Privacy-Focused Tech Companies Call for Ban on ‘Surveillance-Based Advertising’

    Privacy-Focused Tech Companies Call for Ban on ‘Surveillance-Based Advertising’

    A group of tech companies with a history of protecting user privacy is calling for a ban on “surveillance-based advertising.”

    Mojeek, along with DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, StartPage, Fastmail, Proton Technologies and others have written a letter calling on the US, UK, EU and Australia to take action against the dominant form of online advertising. Mojeek is a UK-based search engine that has not tracked users since its inception, and holds the distinction of being the first privacy-oriented search engine. Similarly, the other companies on the list have a long history of protecting user privacy.

    The companies make the case in their open letter that surveillance advertising, commonly called “personalization,” is a threat to consumers, businesses and democracies. The companies also stand as examples that prove it’s possible to build a profitable business without exploiting consumers.

    We are a group of businesses who write to you today to show our support to this initiative. We represent small, medium and large businesses who all believe -and demonstrate on a daily basis -that it is possible to run profitable companies without exploiting the privacy of individuals.

    The companies emphasize they are not anti-advertising, they simply want the industry to use technologies and methods that don’t involve invading the privacy of users.

    Although we recognize that advertising is an important source of revenue for content creators and publishers online, this does not justify the massive commercial surveillance systems set up in attempts to “show the right ad to the right people”.

    Other forms of advertising technologies exist, which do not depend on spying on consumers, and alternative models can be implemented without significantly affecting revenue. On the contrary – and that we can attest to – businesses can thrive without privacy-invasive practices.

  • Brave Search Enters Public Beta

    Brave Search Enters Public Beta

    Brave has opened its search engine beta to the world, following an invite-only early access.

    Brave made headlines in March when the company announced it was working on its own search engine. Brave has made a name for itself as a privacy-focused company, with its namesake browser consistently winning rave reviews for protecting user privacy.

    Needless to say, the company entering the search market could result in a major shakeup of the industry, especially with Brave’s clout and reputation. What makes its entry into the market so interesting is that it purchased Tailcat, an open search engine, to serve as the basis of Brave Search. Most competitors compile results from the top, existing search engines. DuckDuckGo uses this strategy, compiling results from hundreds of sources, in addition to results from its own web crawler.

    By using its own web index, Brave Search’s results are independent of the other, Big Tech companies. This puts Brave in the unique position of having one of the only truly independent search engines on the market.

    The search engine, while still in beta, is now available to anyone who wants to use it. The company sent an email to early testers today, informing them the beta was now open to the public.

    Brave Search Email
    Brave Search Email

    As one of the early beta testers, I have been using Brave for weeks now and the results have been impressive. Compared to Bing or Google, Brave’s results are easily as comprehensive, although it sometimes offers even better prioritization of those results, in terms of relevance.

    Add in a focus on privacy that is second to none, and I plan to continue using the search engine on a regular basis, and probably as my default — and you should too if you value your privacy.

    Give Brave Search at search.brave.com.

  • Google’s June 2021 Core Update Rollout is Complete

    Google’s June 2021 Core Update Rollout is Complete

    Google’s June 2021 Core Update has rolled out, as of June 12, bringing the latest changes to Google’s search algorithm.

    Google rolls out updates to its search algorithms on a regular basis, although they usually happen roughly six months apart. This update, however, wasn’t quite complete at the time Google wanted to roll it out in June, so the company split it into a June 2021 and July 2021 Core Update.

    The company announced it would start rolling out the June portion, beginning June 2. At the time, the company said some sites could go up or down in the rankings, or stay the same, but nothing would be set in stone until both parts had rolled out.

    As of June 12, however, the first half of the update has been rolled out, so webmasters may start seeing some initial changes.

  • Google Rolling Out June 2021 Core Update

    Google Rolling Out June 2021 Core Update

    Google is rolling out the latest updated to its search engine algorithm, and webmasters the world over are anxiously waiting.

    Google updates its search engine ranking algorithm regularly, usually every six months or so. This summer, however, Google will be rolling out two updates in quick succession, one in June and one in July

    Changes to the algorithm can wreak havoc on websites and their rankings, significantly impacting businesses. Google has not listed exactly what the updates address, only that some sites may see their rankings go up…or go down…or stay the same — Google is obviously a fan of really clearing things up.

  • Microsoft Bing’s Content Submission API Now in Public Beta

    Microsoft Bing’s Content Submission API Now in Public Beta

    Microsoft has moved its Bing Content Submission API into beta, after two years of private beta.

    One of the challenges search engines face is keeping up with the constant influx of new websites and content. As a result, search engines use automated software that “crawls” the web, indexing it and adding new sites to the search results.

    Two years ago, Microsoft introduced its Bing Content Submission API as a way for webmasters to manually submit new URLs. After spending the last two years in private beta, Microsoft is opening the doors to a public beta.

    At Bing, webmasters don’t have to wait to get their content crawled and indexed. Bing offers webmaster the abilities to tell Bing about the latest changes in their sites, such as providing latest added, updated or deleted content and URLs.

    Bing already supports the ability for webmasters to notify Bing about URL changes via its Bing URL submission API (setup guide) but now (under Beta launch) also the ability to notify Bing directly about URL along with content changes via Bing Content Submission API. This will not only help webmasters to reach to more relevant users on Bing but also will reduce BingBot crawl load on their sites. This blog post will provide a generic overview along with step-by-step instruction on adopting the same.

    Webmaster interesting in trying the new feature can use this form.

  • Google and Microsoft Square Off Over News Industry

    Google and Microsoft Square Off Over News Industry

    Google and Microsoft are duking it out over the future of the news industry, at a time when both companies are under scrutiny.

    Google and Facebook are vehemently opposed to a new bill that would level the playing field between news publishers and the search engines and social media platforms they rely on. Both companies initially opposed similar legislation in Australia, before finally acquiescing.

    Unlike Google and Facebook, Microsoft has supported Australia’s regulators, and thrown its weight behind the efforts in the US. In written testimony for the congressional hearing, Microsoft President Brad Smith laid out the company’s stand:

    Third, we need the government to act. This in part is because of the indispensable role the free press plays in our democracy and because progress in resuscitating news and journalism back to health is, at best, spotty. It is also because the problems that beset journalism today are caused in part by a fundamental lack of competition in the search and ad tech markets that are controlled by Google. As a result, there is a persistent and structural imbalance between a technology gatekeeper and the free press, particularly small and independent news organizations. This makes it very unlikely that the economic transformation needed to restore journalism to health can succeed at scale without new legislation and government support.

    As noted above, this is not to make a statement about whether Google has acted unlawfully. We respect the company’s sustained creativity, investments, and determination. But as we learned first-hand from Microsoft’s own experience two decades ago, when a company’s success creates side effects that adversely impact a market and our society, the problem should not be ignored. And this typically requires government action.

    Google didn’t take the criticism lying down, issuing its own statement that took a shot at Microsoft:

    We also believe that this important debate should be about the substance of the issue, and not derailed by naked corporate opportunism … which brings us to Microsoft’s sudden interest in this discussion. We respect Microsoft’s success and we compete hard with them in cloud computing, search, productivity apps, video conferencing, email and many other areas. Unfortunately, as competition in these areas intensifies, they are reverting to their familiar playbook of attacking rivals and lobbying for regulations that benefit their own interests. They are now making self-serving claims and are even willing to break the way the open web works in an effort to undercut a rival. And their claims about our business and how we work with news publishers are just plain wrong.

    This latest attack marks a return to Microsoft’s longtime practices. And it’s no coincidence that Microsoft’s newfound interest in attacking us comes on the heels of the SolarWinds attack and at a moment when they’ve allowed tens of thousands of their customers — including government agencies in the U.S., NATO allies, banks, nonprofits, telecommunications providers, public utilities, police, fire and rescue units, hospitals and, presumably, news organizations — to be actively hacked via major Microsoft vulnerabilities. Microsoft was warned about the vulnerabilities in their system, knew they were being exploited, and are now doing damage control while their customers scramble to pick up the pieces from what has been dubbed the Great Email Robbery. So maybe it’s not surprising to see them dusting off the old diversionary Scroogled playbook.

    Needless to say, the two companies aren’t mincing any words, although Google’s words were far more pointed, accusing Microsoft of a self-serving attempt to take scrutiny off of its recent security issues.

    The coming weeks are sure to be interesting as the two companies continue to square off.

  • Microsoft Supports Australian Law Google Is Fighting

    Microsoft Supports Australian Law Google Is Fighting

    Microsoft has come out in full support of a law that could prompt Google to pull out of Australia.

    Google has been arguing against a proposed Australian law that would force the company to pay for news, something it has a long history of trying to get around. The company is so adamant that it doesn’t want to pay for news that it has threatened to pull its search engine from Australia if the law goes through.

    Microsoft clearly sees an opportunity, with CEO Satya Nadella assuring Prime Minister Scott Morrison the company is confident it could fill the gap. Microsoft isn’t stopping there, however, even going so far as to support the Australian law at the heart of the issue, according to Reuters.

    “While Microsoft is not subject to the legislation currently pending, we’d be willing to live by these rules if the government designates us,” the software giant said in a statement.

    Microsoft appears to be pushing hard to gain market share Google is on the verge of walking away from. If the company can pull it off, it may well have found a way to make up significant ground in the search engine wars.

  • Microsoft Bing Eyes Opportunity As Google Threatens Australian Exit

    Microsoft Bing Eyes Opportunity As Google Threatens Australian Exit

    As Google threatens to pull its search engine from the Australian market, Microsoft sees an opportunity, even meeting with the Australian PM.

    Google has threatened to completely pull its search engine from the Australian market in response to a proposed change that would force the search giant to pay for news content. Google has long resisted calls for it to pay for news, claiming that publishers benefit far more than it does from the search giant linking to and quoting news articles.

    Australia isn’t having it, however, and plans to force the search giant to pay for the news content it uses. Google has said it would pull out of the market if that happens, leaving the market ripe for Microsoft Bing.

    “I can tell you, Microsoft’s pretty confident, when I spoke to Satya,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters, according to Reuters.

    “We just want the rules in the digital world to be the same that exist in the real world, in the physical world,” Morrison added.

    Microsoft’s willingness to work with Australia could be a major step forward in the company’s efforts to gain more market share. Currently in distance second place in the search market, Bing could quickly gain ground if its seen as more open to working with publishers and governments.

  • DuckDuckGo Hits 100 Million Daily Searches

    DuckDuckGo Hits 100 Million Daily Searches

    Privacy-oriented search engine DuckDuckGo has crossed a major threshold, passing 100 million daily searches.

    DuckDuckGo has built its reputation on protecting user privacy and not tracking their browsing habits. While the search engine is much smaller that Google, it has been gaining users as consumers have begun to value their privacy more.

    The search engine has now reached a major milestone, passing 100 million daily searches on Monday, January 11. Since then, usage has been hovering just below that mark, ranging from 97 to 99 million.

    While DuckDuckGo has a long way to go before it’s a threat to Google, its increasing popularity should be a warning sign to Google about the value of protecting user privacy.

  • Google Improved Index Coverage Report

    Google Improved Index Coverage Report

    Google has rolled out an update to its Index Coverage report, bringing some significant improvements based on user feedback.

    The Index Coverage report is part of the revamped Search Console. It provides valuable insights into how Google is indexing the various pages of a website. The information is especially helpful to webmasters, giving them a way to track down and identify potential issues.

    Google revamped Index Coverage report to make it even more useful.

    Based on the feedback we got from the community, today we are rolling out significant improvements to this report so you’re better informed on issues that might prevent Google from crawling and indexing your pages. The change is focused on providing a more accurate state to existing issues, which should help you solve them more easily.

    Specifically, the improvements include:

    Removal of the generic “crawl anomaly” issue type – all crawls errors should now be mapped to an issue with a finer resolution.

    Pages that were submitted but blocked by robots.txt and got indexed are now reported as “indexed but blocked” (warning) instead of “submitted but blocked” (error)

    Addition of a new issue: “indexed without content” (warning)

    Soft 404 reporting is now more accurate

    The changes should be a welcome improvement for website operators.

  • Google Rolls Out Business Messaging In Google Maps

    Google Rolls Out Business Messaging In Google Maps

    Google has unveiled a significant update to Google Maps, allowing businesses to reply to customers directly within the application.

    Google Maps and Google My Business are important resources for businesses, making it easier for them to manage their online presence and engage with customers. The latest updates provide substantial improvements to those abilities.

    “Starting today, we’re rolling out the ability for verified businesses to message with customers directly from the Google Maps app,” writes Aditya Tendulkar Product Manager. “Once you turn messaging on from your Business Profile, you can start replying to customers on Google Maps from the business messages section in the “Updates” tab. And soon you’ll also be able to see your messages right from Google Search (via the Customers menu on your Business Profile) and message customers directly from your computer.”

    The company has also improved the analytics and insights businesses can gain from Google My Business.

    “Starting this month, we’re rolling out more metrics to give you a deeper understanding of how customers discover your Business Profile,” continues Tendulkar. “Soon you’ll see a more detailed list of the search queries customers used to find your business on Google. At the beginning of next year, you’ll see updates to the performance page that show whether customers saw your business via Google Maps or Search and if they saw it from a computer or mobile device. All your performance data will be available for up to six months. Dig into the numbers to see how your business is performing over time and how your Business Profile resonates with customers.”

    These are major updates that should help businesses engage with their customers and have the insights they need to optimize their marketing.

  • WSJ: Google Deal With Apple Worth $13 Billion A Year

    WSJ: Google Deal With Apple Worth $13 Billion A Year

    The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google may be paying Apple as much as $13 billion per year to be the default search engine for the Safari web browser which is included on all Apple devices. That’s up from $1 billion that Google paid Apple in 2014 which was disclosed in a court filing during a legal battle with Oracle. If the $14 billion is accurate it amounts to approximately 25% of Apple’s total services revenue.

    The DOJ is currently meeting with state attorney generals in anticipation of filing an antitrust case against Google which is officially owned by Alphabet, Inc. The New York Times says that a primary focus of a lawsuit by the Justice Department is the default search deals that Google has with Apple and other companies. These agreements make it virtually impossible for competitors to ever make a dent into Google’s 92.1% US search engine market share.

    Google has repeatedly said that the simple reason it is popular is that it works hard to deliver the best search results. The WSJ article notes that even if Google was precluded from default search deals many people would still choose to use Google for search, validating Google’s argument.

    A recent post by Google advanced that point:

    Products like Search, Gmail, and Maps help Americans every day. Survey research found that these services provide thousands of dollars a year in value to the average American. We provide these tools to everyone for free.

    Our products increase choice and expand competition. They level the playing field for small businesses everywhere—enabling them to sell their products, find customers, reduce their costs and, in difficult times, get back on their feet.

    Source: Google Blog

    Google says that its free products help people and small businesses across America. They make the case that their technologies help America maintain its competitive edge. In other words, Google doesn’t charge for its search engine and is providing a service loved by millions, so it’s not anti-competitive simply because people choose it instead of competitors.

  • Google Alters Search Algorithm Ahead of US Election

    Google Alters Search Algorithm Ahead of US Election

    Google is making some major changes to how its search engine operates as the US prepares for the election in November.

    Tech companies have come under fire from both sides of the aisle for alternately doing too much and not enough to combat misinformation, false claims and divisive content. Facebook famously got in major trouble over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, resulting in multiple fines and ongoing scrutiny.

    It appears Google is already taking measures to avoid any scenarios that could put it in the hot seat, by changing how its Autocomplete algorithm works in the weeks leading to the election.

    “We expanded our Autocomplete policies related to elections, and we will remove predictions that could be interpreted as claims for or against any candidate or political party,” writes Pandu Nayak Google Fellow and Vice President, Search. “We will also remove predictions that could be interpreted as a claim about participation in the election—like statements about voting methods, requirements, or the status of voting locations—or the integrity or legitimacy of electoral processes, such as the security of the election. What this means in practice is that predictions like ‘you can vote by phone’ as well as ‘you can’t vote by phone,’ or a prediction that says ‘donate to’ any party or candidate, should not appear in Autocomplete. Whether or not a prediction appears, you can still search for whatever you’d like and find results.”

    The new feature builds on the company’s policy of excluding hateful and inappropriate results from displaying in Autocomplete. It remains to be seen if these measures will have a noticeable impact.

  • Is Apple Working On Its Own Search Engine?

    Is Apple Working On Its Own Search Engine?

    Reports indicate Apple may be working on its own search engine, a move that would have far-reaching repercussions.

    Apple and Google have a long-running deal, whereby Google pays Apple billions to be the default search engine on iOS devices. Apple has alternately used Bing and Google to power Siri’s search features over the years. With iOS and iPadOS 14, however, Siri will bypass Google search results page, instead taking the user directly to the site. This would seem to indicate Apple is beginning to distance itself from third-part search engines

    In addition, there has been a noticeable uptick in Apple job postings calling for search engineers. Coywolf founder Jon Henshaw has noticed Apple’s web crawler, Applebot, has been crawling his website daily. Apple has also updated its information on Applebot.

    There’s a number of things Apple could gain by unveiling its own search engine. First and foremost, it would give Apple the ability to deliver on its promise to protect user privacy. No matter how much Apple may work to do that on users’ devices or its own services, when they use Google or Bing, they give up much of their privacy to those companies and their partners. Apple could build a search engine that features the same industry-leading privacy as their other products.

    In addition, as Henshaw points out, Apple could customize the experience in a typical Apple way, providing something unique that offers an entirely new take on search. Whatever Apple is working on, it may well upend the search industry as we know it.

  • Mozilla’s Firefox Quantum Aims to Dethrone Google Chrome as Fastest Internet Browser

    Mozilla’s Firefox Quantum Aims to Dethrone Google Chrome as Fastest Internet Browser

    Google Chrome, the leading U.S. browser at the moment, is about to face some serious competition up ahead. Mozilla just unveiled an improved version of its browser called the Firefox Quantum touted to be drastically faster than its predecessor and offering browsing speeds said to even surpass that of Chrome.

    During the late 2000’s, Mozilla Firefox had one of the fastest user growth among Internet browsers according to Forbes. Unfortunately, the browser’s growth lost steam and is now lagging behind rivals Google Chrome and Apple Safari. Chrome is currently leading the pack in the U.S. with a market share of 44.5 percent followed by Safari at 25.4 percent. Firefox, in the meantime, only managed to secure a 7.4 percent share.

    However, Mozilla is betting big that it just might be able to reclaim some its lost market share with the introduction of a souped-up browser, the Firefox Quantum. One of the most attractive features of the upcoming browser that just might earn it new followers is its browsing speed. Set to debut by November this year, Mozilla says that it is superfast – twice as fast than the current version and is even faster than the number 1 Chrome. And the best part is that, according to Mozilla, the Firefox Quantum uses 30 percent less RAM when compared to Chrome.

    At the moment though, there is no third party data available yet to back up Mozilla’s claim. The claim is supported by data obtained using Mozilla’s own open-source benchmarking tool Speedometer 2.0.

    But Mozilla insists it’s not just about speed. The upcoming Firefox Quantum will also come with an improved user interface which will ditch the curved tab design of the current browser. In addition, Quantum is said to be optimized to take advantage of modern high-res displays.

    Quantum will also be able to differentiate tabs and can influence the download speeds to a certain degree. Tabs that are currently active will download faster than tabs running in the background.

    Firefox Quantum will also incorporate features of Pocket, a popular news and article reader app which Mozilla acquired in February of this year. When users open new tabs, a list of trending pages currently being read by Pocket users will appear as suggestions.

    While Mozilla has already set Firefox Quantum launch date this coming November 14, users can already use its beta version for Android, iOS, and desktop. The test version is available to enable users to discover bugs before it is released.

    [Featured Image via Mozilla]

  • Google Introduces ‘Trending Searches’ and ‘Instant Answers’ to iOS App

    Google Introduces ‘Trending Searches’ and ‘Instant Answers’ to iOS App

    Google is giving users of Apple products greater functionality with the addition of Twitter-like features in a recent update to its iOS app. The mobile version of the search engine which was introduced in its Android app last year, now sports Trending Searches, a location based feature that lets iOS users know of the hottest searches in their location. In addition, the tech giant added Instant Answers to the app, a feature that gives some useful info at a glance.

    Trending Searches for iOS will have an opt-out feature

    With their iOS Google app updated, users will know the searches currently trending around them. According to The Tech Bulletin,  merely clicking on the app’s search box will display a list of trending searches made by people near a user’s location. However, it still remains unclear just how localized the coverage of the Trending Searches feature is.

    Thankfully, there is an opt-out option included in the iOS update. When Trending Searches was introduced on Android last year, it was met with criticisms with some users clamoring for Google to include an option for turning off the feature. While useful to some, there were users who found it annoying as it gave trending searches made by the masses instead of content specific to the user interests. Google relented by coming up with the opt-out option for people who wished to turn off the feature.

    Smarter Searches with Instant Answers

    In addition, Google made some improvements to the search experience by introducing what is called Instant Answers. Basically, the app anticipates what the user is trying to type and, even before keying in the complete search phrase, the answer is displayed along with some suggestions below the search box. And that happens even before the user hits the search button.

    According to Tech Crunch,  the answers come from Google’s facts database known as Knowledge Graph, which in turn, sources its data from CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.

    [Featured Image via Pixabay]

  • Yandex Offers Search Refiners To Help Archive Search Goals

    Yandex now offers search refiners to help web users achieve their search goals. The new functionality appears right below Yandex’s search bar in response to unspecified queries, helping users to instantly refine their searches. Those searching for “blueberry”, for instance, could be looking for blueberry recipes, or possibly be interested in learning
    about the health benefits or nutritional value of blueberries. Now, they can see at a click exactly what they are looking for.

    Unspecified queries currently represent about 20% of all searches on Yandex. In response to these unspecified queries, Yandex’s search engine now offers options for users to choose from. Users looking for “Charlie Chaplin”, for instance, will have to click on one of the search refining options suggested by Yandex: bio, photo, video, film or quote.

    Search refiners are powered by Yandex’s proprietary technology, Spectrum, launched in December 2010. This technology enables Yandex’s search engine to determine users’ possible search goals and offer results specific to each of these goals. Spectrum includes into search results links to web documents belonging to different user intent categories based on how popular these categories are. Search refiners appearing on Yandex Search is another step in Spectrum’s development.

    “Any search system needs to know what it is exactly that the user is looking for and help them find it,” says Elena Gruntova, head of the Intent-based Search Program at Yandex. “This is what Yandex has been doing for the past fifteen years, starting with the word-form sensitive search engine and continuing with vertical search results from our own
    services in 2000. The launch of search refiners is yet another milestone on this road.”

    Intent-based search engine understanding users’ needs and helping them to attain their goals is one of Yandex’s key priorities in 2012. Yandex intends to launch other products as part of its Intent-based Search Program in the near future.

  • Baidu: Chinese People Can’t Spell Google

    Baidu: Chinese People Can’t Spell Google

    Baidu is on a mission to take over the world, but seriously, who isn’t? There’s only a couple markets in the world where Google is present, but not dominant and they include China, South Korea, and Russia. Actually it should be surprising to learn that Google actually lost a seven percent market share to Baidu last month.

    It’s also interesting to note that Baidu and Google share many of the same web services such as a browser, an Android-base operating system, news, internet TV, and maps.

    Baidu’s Director of International Communications Kaiser Kuo granted an interview to CNN a couple of years ago and he explained some of the initial success of Baidu:

    ‘You probably remember that early on there were surveys that showed that most Chinese internet users simply couldn’t spell the word Google to type it into their browser.”

    “Baidu has really always anticipated the use [and] needs of the chinese internet user and done it very well.”

    “…We are still very much focused on the Chinese market.”

    Despite this focus, Kuo explains that he sees a bright future for the search engine and expects it to expand and grow in the years to come.

    He explains further:

    “We’ve never made a secret of the fact that we intend to become a global brand,”

    It seems that Kuo now has some evidence to support his claims as Baidu has experienced an almost 80% profit growth when looking at the last quarter of 2011, as compared with the same time the year before.

    Baidu is an organization to keep an eye on. Perhaps they will overtake Google in the future or even better yet, they will some how be affiliated with each other. I’ll try to stay up to date on what they’re doing.

  • Google Being Challenged By Italian Professor

    Google Being Challenged By Italian Professor

    The man who helped inspire Google has created a new search engine that will directly compete with the search engine giant.

    Massimo Marchiori, an Italian computer science professor, launched Volunia to a select group of users on Monday. It’s an interesting mash-up of a search engine and social media platform. The service will allow users to “view the components of particular Web sites to find the subject of interest more quickly and to interact with registered users who might be looking at the same Web pages,” according to The Economic Times.

    “The web is a living place. There is information but there are also people. The social dimension is already present, it just has to emerge,” Marchiori said.

    Marchiori used to teach at MIT where he came up with the algorithm for the Internet page ranking system service “HyperSearch” in the 1990s.

    The project has been under development for the past four years in Italy.

    He has been quoted as saying that Google founder Larry Page came up to him after a conference on HyperSearch. He says that Page asked to use the search algorithm. Since it was not patented, Page reportedly implemented it into Google. Marchiori holds no ill will against the search giant, however, and says that Page used his algorithm in the “best possible way.”

    Marchiori believe that all search giants will soon be implementing a combined search/social media platform soon.

    Volunia was launched to power users on Monday to test out the service, but it will be rolled out to all users in 12 languages over the coming days.

    They hope to keep the site up and running by selling advertising space.

    Here’s a few videos that explain in detail what Volunia is and how it works. With Google already implementing “Search, Plus Your World” across its service, it’s only a matter of time before they integrate the ideas that Volunia brings to the table.

  • Google Still Dominates Search

    Water’s wet, sky’s blue, and Google is still king of the search engine industry. So much so, in fact, the amount of search queries conducted on Google more than double Yahoo and Bing (one and the same now?) their combined output.

    In the latest study from Experian Hitwise, Google’s position as top search engine dog was confirmed in black and white with the following quote:

    Google accounted for 66.05 percent of all U.S. searches conducted in the four weeks ending July 30, 2011. The combined Bing-powered search comprised 28.05 percent of searches for the month, with Yahoo! Search and Bing receiving 14.49 percent and 13.19 percent, respectively.

    The remainder of search engine industry, which Experian states is at 73 engines, only account for less than six percent of all Internet searches.

    Again, considering Google’s financial success, this news should come as no surprise, although, the spin Experian offers is perfect example of twisting statistics to fit a theme. Take the following for instance:

    Yahoo! Search and Bing achieved the highest success rates in July 2011. This means that for Yahoo! Search, more than 81.36 percent of searches executed resulted in a visit to a Website. Google achieved a success rate of 68 percent, an increase of 1 percent in July 2011. The share of unsuccessful searches highlights the opportunity for both the search engines and marketers to evaluate the search engine result pages to ensure that searchers are finding relevant information.

    That’s all fine and good for Bing/Yahoo, but when you consider the sheer number of Google’s search volume compared to Bing/Yahoo, it stands to less successful searches were conducted. Once again, the sample size in the statistics need to be considered. Smaller sample sizes lead to higher degrees of variability, something stated quite clear in Wikipedia’s entry concerning Sample size determination:

    Larger sample sizes generally lead to increased precision when estimating unknown parameters.

    With less people using Bing/Yahoo, but more clicking over to sites, in order to make this a little more reliable, the same amount of Google users would have to use Bing/Yahoo. If the site-visiting results were similar, then you’d be onto something.

    As it stands, sorry International Business Times, the findings about site click-overs comes across as meaningless, as well as skirting the “correlation does not imply causation” territory as well.