Yahoo plans desktop search

"Yahoo will release a desktop search tool in early 2005, joining other search engines looking to catalog a variety of information beyond Web pages [...]
Instead of building its own tool, Yahoo licensed technology from Pasadena, CA, startup X1 Technologies. X1 lets users search their computers for word processing files, e-mails, photos and more than 220 other data types."

Yahoo plans to add customized features to the search tool to appeal to its 160 million registered users. Yahoo said it would release a test version of Yahoo Desktop Search "in the coming weeks." Desktop search has emerged as a priority for search engines. Google released its own tool for searching computer hard drives in October. Ask Jeeves disclosed that its desktop search tool, built through its acquisition of Tuckaroo in June, is slated for release Dec. 15. Microsoft also expects to introduce desktop search before the end of the year. A Yahoo representative said the beta version of Yahoo Desktop Search would not include paid listings. Google does not display ads for desktop searches, though it has integrated desktop search with Web search. Those results include paid listings.
Search industry experts say the desktop search functions are a necessary method for search engines to build user loyalty, since Web search has few barriers to switching to another engine.

The new Google Suggest feature

Google Labs have just released the beta version of a new Google tool: Google Suggest. As you type into the search box, Google Suggest guesses what you're typing and offers suggestions in real time.

How does it work?
"Our algorithms use a wide range of information to predict the queries users are most likely to want to see. For example, Google Suggest uses data about the overall popularity of various searches to help rank the refinements it offers."
Google Suggest is based on a JavaScript library. When you type a letter, Google Suggest requests a special modified version of Google's search tool which only returns the necessary data.
Google Suggest disables your web browsers auto-complete feature and it defines a field for the new auto-complete popup menu. Each time you enter a character in the search field, Google Suggest fills that field with the results of a query to a special database.

Search and enjoy: 7 search toolbars reviewed

Want to research something fast? Install a search engine toolbar within your browser. Some even block pop-ups and spam and can securely remember your credit card number for future purchases. Best of all, they're free.

By Ben Patterson (November 22, 2004)

Search and enjoy: 7 search toolbars reviewed

Want to research something fast? Install a search engine toolbar within your browser. Some even block pop-ups and spam and can securely remember your credit card number for future purchases. Best of all, they're free.

By Ben Patterson (November 22, 2004)

Search and enjoy: 7 search toolbars reviewed

Want to research something fast? Install a search engine toolbar within your browser. Some even block pop-ups and spam and can securely remember your credit card number for future purchases. Best of all, they're free.

By Ben Patterson (November 22, 2004)

. Facts of the week: How to get your web site into Yahoo
Why should your web site have good rankings on Yahoo?

According to Nielsen/NetRatings, one of the leading Internet and digital media audience information and analysis services, Yahoo is the search engine with the second biggest audience reach:

Audience reach is the percentage of US home and work Internet users estimated to have searched on each site at least once during the month through a web browser or some other "online" means. Many people use Yahoo to find web sites on the Internet. A good position on Yahoo can bring you a considerable number of visitors. If your web site doesn't have good rankings on Yahoo, you're missing a lot of potential customers.

How do I get my web site into Yahoo?

Although Yahoo offers a paid inclusion program, it's not necessary to use that program to get into Yahoo. Yahoo finds most web sites through links on other web sites.

If many other web sites link to your site, Yahoo's spider will find your site. In addition, Yahoo also offers a free site submission feature. When Yahoo's spider visits your web pages, you should make sure that your web pages are optimized for Yahoo's ranking algorithm.

How does Yahoo rank web pages?

The official Yahoo statement reads as follows: "Yahoo! Search ranks results according to their relevance to a particular query by analyzing the web page text, title and description accuracy as well as its source, associated links, and other unique document characteristics."

You can get a much more detailed picture of Yahoo's ranking algorithm by analyzing the top ranked web pages on Yahoo for your web site.

How can I optimize my web pages for Yahoo?

There are four points that are important for high rankings on Yahoo:

Don't use frames on your web site. Yahoo's spider cannot follow frameset links:

"Yahoo! Slurp follows HREF links. It does not follow SRC links. This means that Yahoo! Slurp does not retrieve or index individual frames referred to by SRC links."

Make sure that all of your web pages are linked so that Yahoo's spider can find all pages of your web site.

Make sure that your web pages are optimized for Yahoo. Your web pages will only get good Yahoo rankings if Yahoo's spider can find something useful on them. If your web pages aren't search engine ready, you won't get good rankings.

Get links from other web sites. If many web pages are optimized for the same search terms, web sites with good incoming links will get better rankings. In addition, links from other web sites help Yahoo to find your site.