The new millennium brought new challenges for Yahoo. The rise of Google, with its superior search algorithm, began to erode Yahoo's market share. In 2000, Yahoo partnered with Google, using their search technology to power Yahoo's search results. What seemed like a pragmatic decision at the time would later be seen as a strategic mistake.
Yahoo attempted to regain ground by purchasing albania phone number library Inktomi in 2002 and Overture Services (which had previously purchased AltaVista and AlltheWeb) in 2003. These acquisitions were intended to enhance Yahoo's search technology and advertising capabilities.
In 2004, Yahoo ended its partnership with Google and launched its own search engine technology, but by this time Google had established itself as the dominant player in the search market.
Despite losing ground to Google, Yahoo has continued to innovate and offer unique features:
Rich Media Integration: Yahoo was a pioneer in integrating images, videos, and news directly into search results.
Yahoo Answers: Launched in 2005, this Q&A platform has become a popular feature by providing user-generated answers to various questions.
Mobile Search: Yahoo was early to optimize its search for mobile devices, recognizing the increasing importance of mobile internet usage.
Contextual Search: Yahoo has developed technologies to understand user intent and provide more relevant results based on context.
Vertical Search Options: Specialized search features for images, videos, news and local information have been continuously improved.
Microsoft Partnership and Beyond
In 2009, Yahoo entered into a partnership with Microsoft, agreeing to use Bing's search technology while maintaining its own user interface and additional features. This partnership, which continues today, has allowed Yahoo to focus on other aspects of its business while offering competitive search capabilities.
Current Status of Yahoo Search Engine
As of 2024, Yahoo Search Engine’s global market share is significantly smaller compared to giants like Google and Bing. However, it still maintains a presence in the search market, especially in certain regions and demographic groups.
In 2021, Verizon sold Yahoo (along with AOL) to Apollo Global Management for $5 billion. This change of ownership led to speculation about a potential revival of Yahoo's services, including its search engine.
