April 4, 2006

Google Related Links Now Out; Challenges Yahoo's Year-Old Y!Q Links

Google Blogoscoped spots a new Google Labs release, Google Related Links. We wrote about these appearing last month, but there was no way for people to get them then for their own sites. Now you can.

The service puts a little box on your page where Google analyzes the content to show related searches, news and web pages to your visitors. And for helping promote Google in this way, you get .... a little box to put on your page.

Well, it's not like Yahoo's paying you either to put Y!Q links on your pages. Y!Q -- I prefer to write it YQ -- puts a link on your page allowing people to search for related content. You know, sort of like Google's just done, only Yahoo did it a year ago.

In a face-off between the two, I guess I like that Google gives you the option of up to three types of related material: searches, web pages and news rather than just web search. But be aware that YQ has a ton of developer options you can dig into.

Also be aware that despite being out for a year, you're hardly stumbling over YQ links across the web. Maybe Google will have that ever so more cool factor that picks up adoption. I'd personally be more inclined if it helped me direct users to find related content on my own site. YQ does have a feature allowing this. However, it involved going into the API which leaves little old non-programmer me thinking it far too much work to play with.

Meanwhile, Google certainly is easier to install. YQ wants me to put stuff in the header area of my pages, which sucks since I might not want to have YQ on every page. You also have to associate YQ with sections of text, rather than just slap it up on a page and let it figure things out automatically. Too much work for me.

Google Related Links FAQ here; YQ FAQ here. An example of Google Related Links is also shown below:

Posted by Danny Sullivan at 7:44 AM | Permalink

March 10, 2006

Google Enables Related Content JavaScript Block

Garett Rogers reports that Google has enabled Webmaster to place JavaScript on their pages to show a "related" content box by Google. You can check it out live at Vivi's blog, right above the comments. The code does not contain any unique identifier, nor does it appear there is any monetization involved with what it produces. Too similar to Y!Q? More information at Googling Google.

google_rc = new Object(); google_rc['width'] = 468; google_rc['height'] = 60; google_rc['modules'] = ['news','searches','pages']; google_rc['color_line'] = '336699'; google_rc['color_link'] = '0000ee'; google_rc['color_bg'] = 'ffffff'; google_rc['color_text'] = '000000'; google_rc['color_source'] = '6f6f6f'; google_rc['color_header'] = 'c6ddf4'; google_rc['color_footer'] = 'eeeeee'; //>

Posted by Barry Schwartz at 11:06 AM | Permalink

August 19, 2005

New Version of Yahoo Toolbar for IE Released, Offers Access to YQ

Over on the Yahoo Search Blog, YQ developer and guru, Reiner Kraft, posts that a new version of the Yahoo Toolbar for Internet Explorer is available and now includes easy access to YQ's contextually-based info and tools. Simply highlight word(s) on any web page (with Yahoo for Toolbar active) and "automagically" an icon appears. Click and run a web search on the highlighted terms, save the highlighted content to My Web, or translate non-English text into English.

Along with YQ technology now being a part of the Yahoo Toolbar for IE, Kraft notes that it's also available as part of latest release of Yahoo Messenger with Voice.

Finally, the Yahoo Toolbar for IE now includes access to the Yahoo Music Engine.

Posted by Gary Price at 1:05 PM | Permalink

May 23, 2005

Yahoo Announces a Challenge for Webmasters, Bloggers, and Web Developers

This morning Yahoo launched the YQ Challenge to find the "most innovative" implementations of their YQ contextual search platform.

Yahoo launched YQ in beta earlier this year.

What criteria will Yahoo use to judge the contest?

* Relevance: How effectively have you set context so that YQ produces results with maximum relevance? * Prominence: How prominent is the placement of YQ on your site? * Placement: How creative and intuitive are the placements of YQ icons on your site? * Usefulness: To what degree does YQ enhance the overall user experience on your site?

The winner of the YQ Challenge receives $5000. Second place receives $2500. $1000 for third.

This FAQ has more info. The deadline for submitting entries is June 19th.

Posted by Gary Price at 3:30 PM | Permalink

March 31, 2005

Yahoo Adds New Options to YQ

News from Sunnyvale that YQ (Yahoo's contextual search technology that was released as a beta in February) is offering a few new features for web page authors who embed YQ into their pages. Jeremy Zawodny has the details on the Yahoo Search Blog. Zawodny also writes that he is looking for some volunteers to test some new features for an upcoming Y!Q releaase. Again, details on the blog.

Posted by Gary Price at 6:23 PM | Permalink

February 16, 2005

An Interview with the Developer of Yahoo's YQ!

JB points to an interview on the Yahoo Search Blog with Reiner Kraf, the developer of Yahoo's new YQ! contextual search tool that Chris reviewed for SearchDay.

Y!Q was designed to address two key issues: First, we want to provide convenient access to search functionality at the point of inspiration. Second, we want to push relevant and enhanced results related to the context and provide superior relevancy for search results. If we're doing a good job for one and two, I think Y!Q has a very good chance of being adapted and used widely. Users generally use the search tool that is easiest to use and produces the best results. So I believe that Y!Q will be gradually accepted as the next generation search tool of choice.

With YQ!, Blinkx, the recent launch of Intellext, and to a certain degree, the AutoLink feature in the Google Toolbar beta, is contextual search the next "big thing."

Posted by Gary Price at 1:36 PM | Permalink

February 3, 2005

Yahoo Testing YQ "Search By Example" Tool

Yahoo is launching a new tool that lets you submit all or part of a web page that you're viewing as a search query, rather than the traditional method of typing words into a search box. The tool, called Y!Q, analyzes the content you've submitted and extracts the most relevant terms from the page, and presents results accordingly.

It's an interesting idea. Northern Light used to allow searchers to cut and paste an entire web page as a search query, but you had no way to refine results. Y!Q allows you to tweak results in several ways, even letting you add subsequent search result pages into the mix with just a click of a link. Today's SearchDay article, Yahoo Offers New Contextual Search Tool, describes this cool new utility, available for both Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers.

Want to discuss? Would adding sponsored links make this a threat to Google AdSense? Join the discussion in our forum thread, Yahoo Testing Contextual Search Tool.

Posted by Chris Sherman at 12:01 AM | Permalink

See More Posts From:

This Week | This Month

Legal Notices, Licensing, Reprints & Permissions

Privacy Policy
Affiliates

var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-564586-7"); pageTracker._setDomainName(".searchenginewatch.com"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); window.collarity_appid = "incmedia"; //> //>

Top Jobs

more Jobs