Maximizing Exposure Across
The Major Search Engines
Tony Subia May 2004
Subia Interactive.com

Yahoo is significantly important to search engine-ranking prominence since it owns All The Web, AltaVista, Overture and Inktomi. The Open Directory Project, sometimes known as ODP or DMOZ , is a pure human-edited directory and does not offer web result searches. However, don’t underestimate the tremendous advantage of being successfully indexed by the ODP directory because it feeds its directory results to AltaVista, AOL, Google, HotBot, IWon, Lycos, Netscape, Teoma and others.

As a directory, the Open Directory Project transfers link popularity, which is a requisite to attaining high ranking on the web result search engines.

It’s interesting to note that Inktomi does not offer web search service, but is instrumental towards prominent exposure across the web. In summary, focus on the ranking criteria of Google and Inktomi and make a successful submission to ODP a priority.

Major Search Engine Relationships Summary

All The Web
Web results from FAST Search. Paid results from Overture. Yahoo now owns All The Web, which could effect future relationships.

AltaVista
Has its own database of web results. The Open Directory Project (DMOZ) provides directory results. Paid results from Overture which is owned by Yahoo.

AOL Search
Web results from Google. Paid results from Google. Directory results provided by the Open Directory Project (DMOZ).

Ask Jeeves
Has its own database of web results. Secondary results from Teoma. Paid results from Google.

Google
Has its own database of web results. Provides its own paid results. Directory results are from the Open Directory Project (DMOZ).

HotBot
Web results from Inktomi. Paid results from Google. Directory results provided by the Open Directory Project (DMOZ)

Inktomi
Inktomi doesn’t offer a user search service but its index of web results are fed to HotBot, LookSmart, Overture, MSN and Yahoo, which now owns Inktomi.

IWon
Web results from Google. Paid results from Google. Directory results provided by the Open Directory Project (DMOZ).

LookSmart
Provides its own directory results. Web results from Inktomi.

Lycos
Web results from FAST Search. Paid results from Google. Directory results from the Open Directory Project (DMOZ).

MSN Search
Web results from Inktomi. Paid results from Overture. MSN is in the process of building its own database of web results.

Netscape Search
Web results from Google. Paid results from Google. Directory results from the Open Directory Project (DMOZ).

Overture
Provides its own paid results. Web results from Inktomi.

Teoma
Has its own database of web results. Paid results from Google. Directory result from the Open Directory Project (DMOZ).

Yahoo
Web results from Inktomi. Paid results from Overture. Provides its own directory results.