Yahoo Search
| Company type | Search engine |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Jerry Yang and David Filo |
Area served | Worldwide (at least 38 international markets) |
| Owner | Apollo Global Management (controlling interest since 2021) |
| Parent | Yahoo! |
| Website | search |
Yahoo! Search is a search engine owned by Yahoo! and utilizes technology from Microsoft Bing.
Originally, Yahoo! Search functioned as an interface that forwarded queries to indexes managed by partners such as Inktomi and later Google until 2004, when Yahoo! developed its own web crawler. On July 29, 2009, a partnership with Microsoft designated Bing as the sole provider of Yahoo! Search results. Between 2015 and 2018, the search engine was powered by Google once again before reverting to Bing.
As of July 2018, Microsoft Sites accounted for 24.2% of desktop search requests in the United States, while Verizon Media (Yahoo!'s parent company at the time) held an 11.5% share. Google dominated the market with 63.2%.
Search technology acquisition
The roots of Yahoo! Search trace back to the Yahoo! Directory, which was introduced in 1994 by founders Jerry Yang and David Filo. A search feature was added to this directory in 1995. Although it gained early popularity as a search engine, it initially depended on licensed technologies from third-party providers.
In 2002, Yahoo! acquired Inktomi, a supplier of OEM search engines that powered various websites and contributed to Yahoo!'s initial search results. The following year, Yahoo! purchased Overture Services, which included the AlltheWeb and AltaVista search engines. Despite these acquisitions, Yahoo! continued to rely on Google's search results on its primary website for some time.
Beginning April 7, 2003, Yahoo! introduced its own crawler-based search platform by combining its acquired assets with internal development efforts. This transition marked the end of its dependence on Google and positioned Yahoo! as a direct competitor in the search market.
In October 2007, Yahoo! refreshed its user interface and launched Search Assist, a feature providing live query suggestions to improve the user experience.
July 2008 saw the debut of Yahoo! Search BOSS ("Build your Own Search Service"), a platform allowing developers to build customized search engines powered by Yahoo!'s indexing capabilities.
In January 2010, operational management of Yahoo! Search shifted to Microsoft through the Microsoft Search Alliance joint venture, which also unified advertising sales across both companies. By October 2010, all ads sponsored by Yahoo! were transitioned to Microsoft's adCenter (now known as Bing Ads).
On March 12, 2014, Yahoo! formed a collaboration with Yelp to embed local reviews and images directly into its search results.
In November 2014, Mozilla selected Yahoo Search as the default search engine for Firefox users in the United States under a five-year contract.
The agreement with Microsoft was modified in April 2015 to permit non-exclusive arrangements for mobile and certain desktop traffic. Following this change, in October 2015, Yahoo! entered into a contract with Google to supply search and advertising services through the end of 2018. Since October 2019, Bing has once again been powering Yahoo! Search.
In September 2021, private equity firm Apollo Global Management acquired a controlling 90% interest in Yahoo.
International presence
Yahoo! Search maintained operations across at least 38 international markets, supporting numerous languages throughout Europe, Asia, and emerging regions.
Languages
- Arabic
- Bulgarian
- Catalan
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English
- Estonian
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Malay
- Norwegian
- Persian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Serbian
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Tagalog
- Thai
- Turkish
- Vietnamese
Languages Supported by Yahoo Image Search
Yahoo Image Search accommodated 24 different languages, including but not limited to English, Spanish, Turkish, Tagalog, Arabic, Swedish, Vietnamese, Malay, as well as both Traditional and Simplified Chinese.
Search Results
Yahoo Search indexed widely used HTML formats alongside popular file types such as PDFs, Excel files, PowerPoint decks, Word documents, RSS/XML feeds, and plain text files. Many of these file types were accessible via cached links that allowed users to view the content in standard HTML format. The platform’s Advanced Search and Preferences features enabled users to tailor their search outcomes by adjusting settings like SafeSearch filters, language preferences, the quantity of results displayed, and domain-specific restrictions.
In 2005, Yahoo incorporated links directing users to archived content on the Wayback Machine. Later, in May 2008, it introduced Yahoo Glue, a novel search approach designed to improve the overall search experience.
In 2020, Yahoo! Search was criticized for giving preferential ranking to websites owned by its then-parent company Verizon Media within its search listings.
Selection-Based Search
On June 20, 2007, Yahoo rolled out Yahoo Shortcuts, a selection-based search tool that allowed users to initiate searches solely through mouse interactions. This feature presented suggestions in floating windows while users remained on Yahoo platforms such as Yahoo Mail. Its functionality was confined to Yahoo-owned web pages or those part of the Yahoo Publisher Network and required webpage owners to embed specific HTML modifications highlighting targeted keywords. The context-sensitive technology powering this innovation was created by Reiner Kraft.
SearchScan
Launched on May 11, 2008, SearchScan functioned as an add-on enhancing Yahoo Search by warning users about potentially malicious sites containing viruses, spyware, or spam content. This addition aimed to bolster user security during online searches.
Search Verticals
Beyond general web queries, Yahoo Search expanded its offerings to include specialized verticals such as Images, Videos, Local search, Shopping, Yahoo! Answers, Audio content, Directory listings, Jobs search, News updates, Mobile services, Travel information, and more—addressing a broad spectrum of user needs.
OneSearch
Yahoo introduced its mobile search service called OneSearch on March 20, 2007. This platform delivered integrated results featuring news headlines, Flickr photos, business directories, local weather updates, and related links. OneSearch distinctly emphasized local content; for instance, it displayed theaters currently screening a movie along with user ratings and relevant news articles—requiring input like a zip code or city name to generate localized data. By 2012, Yahoo incorporated Novarra's mobile content transcoding technology into OneSearch.
On January 14, 2020, Verizon launched a privacy-centric search engine also named OneSearch. This service highlighted user privacy by pledging not to track individuals but attracted criticism for promoting websites owned by Verizon Media (Yahoo's parent company at the time) and relying on Microsoft’s Bing for its search results. Privacy issues were raised due to the presence of trackers associated with Verizon’s services. Subsequently, Verizon was fined $1.3 million for employing super cookie trackers linked to this platform.
The website www.onesearch.com is notably excluded from the Wayback Machine, setting it apart from multiple academic and library OneSearch platforms utilized worldwide.
See also
- Comparison of web search engines
- List of search engines
- Yahoo! Directory
- List of Yahoo!-owned sites and services
- Yahoo! Search BOSS
- Yahoo! SearchMonkey