The digital terrain of search engines and directories is in constant motion, with players rising and falling in prominence. Keeping up with the latest shifts can be a challenge, especially as the industry leans towards monetized submission models. This article delves into the current state of search engines and directories, highlighting who's still in the game, who's charging for submissions, and which platforms may be worth your attention.
Yahoo, while not a search engine, remains a significant directory with over a million listings. It's a human-curated directory, and commercial sites must pay a $299 annual fee for "Yahoo Express" submission, with adult sites charged $600. However, Yahoo does not refund fees for rejected sites. Additionally, Yahoo features "Sponsor Matches" from the top three bid positions on Overture, displaying them prominently in search results (Yahoo Business).
Altavista reaches over 45 million global visitors and still offers free submission, though inclusion can be slow. Their "Express Inclusion" service guarantees faster placement, costing $39 for six months for one URL, and $29 for each additional URL. Altavista also showcases Overture's top four bid positions under "Products and Services" (Altavista Add URL).
Google, with over 150 million daily searches, continues to offer free submission and powers search results for Netscape Search, Yahoo, and AOL Search. Google's "AdWords Select" is a pay-per-click program where ads appear on the right-hand side of search results. A $5 enrollment fee is required, and Google provides sponsored links exclusively to AOL Search (Google Add URL, AdWords Select).
Inktomi, which supplies results to various engines like MSN and Hotbot, charges $39 per URL per year, with additional URLs at $25 each. The advantage lies in the exposure gained through its search partners (Inktomi Submit).
The Open Directory Project (ODP or DMOZ) is a human-reviewed directory managed by Netscape Communication Corp. It's free to submit, though the process can be tedious. ODP feeds results to many search partners, including Google and Altavista (DMOZ Add URL).
Overture operates on a pay-per-click model, where you bid on keywords for top search result placement. With a $20 monthly minimum and $0.05 minimum bid per keyword, Overture's top listings also appear on Yahoo, Altavista, MSN, and others, often as "sponsored links" (Overture).
Excite, once a major search engine, now functions more like a portal, with search results sourced from Overture and Looksmart. Direct submissions are no longer possible; instead, accounts with Overture or Looksmart are required for listing (Excite).
LookSmart, a human-compiled directory, now operates on a pay-per-click basis with a $49 setup fee and $0.15 per click, requiring a $150 minimum deposit. The shift to this model has been controversial. LookSmart's listings also appear on InfoSpace's meta-search engines, including Excite and WebCrawler (LookSmart).
AOL Search has partnered with Google to use its search results and display sponsored links from the "AdWords Select Program." Submissions can be made through the ODP or directly on AOL's category pages (AOL Search).
Owned by Lycos, Hotbot is currently revising its free submission process. Results are sourced from Direct Hit, Inktomi, and the ODP. Overture's top three results are also featured on Hotbot's search results page (Hotbot Add URL).
MSN Search combines results from Looksmart and Inktomi, with additional listings from Overture. Direct submissions are not accepted; instead, submissions must go through Looksmart (MSN Search).
Ask Jeeves offers a unique directory service based on question queries. Free listing is possible via email, while paid inclusion guarantees a spot on both Ask Jeeves and Teoma for 15 months. Sponsored links from Overture's top bids are also displayed (Ask Jeeves, Paid Inclusion).
Netscape Search features listings from the ODP and, starting August 2002, will include Google's AdWords Select Program's top bids as "Partner Search Results" (Netscape Search).
Formerly Direct Hit, Teoma is now owned by Ask Jeeves and aims to compete with Google. It also provides search results to Hotbot, with sponsored results from Overture (Teoma).
Lycos offers free submissions and a paid "Lycos InSite Select" service for guaranteed inclusion within 48 hours. Sponsored listings from Overture are also shown (Lycos Search Services).
Owned by Fast Search, AllTheWeb.com allows free site submissions but does not guarantee inclusion. Results are also sourced from the ODP and Fast Search (AllTheWeb Add URL).
The search engine and directory industry is dynamic, with frequent changes. To stay updated, consider following authoritative sources like Search Engine Watch, Search Engine Guide, and Search Engine Headlines. Bruce Clay's continually updated chart on search engine relationships is another valuable resource (Search Engine Relationship Chart).
In conclusion, the search engine and directory landscape is ever-changing, with various platforms adopting different models to stay relevant. Whether you opt for free submission or paid inclusion, it's crucial to stay informed and adapt your strategies accordingly.
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