This search engine chart below illustrates the major search engines and the relationship of the search engines that power its search engine results, sponsored listings, and web directory listings.
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Know that some of the above search engines used to offer up their own databases or unique search features. Though they may still have some degree of search functionality, they’ve pretty much have abandoned their once more loftier position, switching over to more prominent databases. Below is a snapshot of those from the above list that have made switches:
AlltheWeb – switched to Yahoo! database in early 2004
AltaVista – switched to Yahoo! database in early 2004
Go – originally took over InfoSeek, then switched to Overture, then finally to Google.
HotBot – as of early 2005, exists only as a multi-search of Google and Ask Jeeves.
iWon – now uses Google-sponsored ads and Web and image databases.
Lycos – switched to Yahoo! database in April 2004, then switched again to Ask Jeeves in 2005.
Teoma – their technology was bought and is now being used by Ask.com.
In the interest of providing a little more back-story for the two major providers that are at the center of powering up the other ancillary search engines, Google and Yahoo!:
Google: Incorporated on September 7, 1998. There’s one main criteria in creating the “perfect search engine”, understand exactly what you mean and give you back exactly what you want. Google was forward-thinking enough to focus on infrastructure right out of the gate, configuring thousands of linked PC into one massive Linux clusters, revolutionizing quick searches in one fell swoop.
Yahoo!: Founded in 1994, and recognized as a wide-spread global brand for online shopping and information retrieval. The service reaches over 237 million users across 25 countries and 13 languages.
Additionally, Yahoo! uses it’s own algorithm, taking the best of Inktomi, Fast, and Altavista and giving them a good shake.