Search engines are now on the smoke

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From July onwards, on the page of NetEase, use its search box, get the result, show is "Yodao Youdao provide this service" words. Previously, the same place was written "The following results are provided by Google".

This change is because NetEase abandoned Google (Google) technology, with its own secret refining a two-year search engine-"Yodao Youdao"-Replaced.

NetEase is not the first choice to do their own search engine of the comprehensive class site. Before it, Sina and Sohu both launched their own search engine, Yahoo China also in the search market for a long time occupy a third position. But when NetEase gave up its cooperation with Google, Sina announced that it had become a strategic partner with Google.

If Sohu introduced Sogou more content to increase some income, netease in observation three years after the decision to enter the search obviously has greater ambitions. It's going to prove something Sina didn't do: Portals can make really good search engines. NetEase on the search determined is clear: this business will be the founder of Ding Lei personally to grasp.

Another hidden player is Tencent. Although Tencent this year still chose to Google to do the web search, but it also launched its own brand "search", but also to do their own web search outside the search products, these products are almost all in Baidu to find a direct confrontation object. In the view of observers, the full independence of the search is only a matter of time.

June 2007, China Yahoo launched a test version of the Almighty search, ready to let go. The market for Chinese search engines has never been as lively as it is now.

Search opportunities for integrated Web sites

Search is a necessary and important service for the portal site. Usually they are faced with two choices: outsource or do it themselves.

In the search engine has not shown the current huge commercial energy, many portals choose to outsource, even if they do, but also with amateurs nature, only a small amount of human and material resources. By 2005, Sina's search technology was provided by Baidu. 2004 Google listing and the 2005 Baidu listing, subversion of people's imagination. Google and Baidu share prices in the soaring, the Portal network War joined the search for gold rush.

August 2004, Sohu first launched its own search engine-"Sogou." Reportedly launched six months, the search business has accounted for Sohu advertising revenue of 18%. According to Sohu's financial report, last year, its search business revenue 12.8 million dollars, become Sohu new profit growth point.

June 2005, Sina launched its own search engine-love to ask. December 2005, Tencent also launched an independent domain name search website "Search", search the Web site technology provided by Google, the rest of the products, such as forums, music, news, and so on their own development.

NetEase's strategy began to look conservative. 2004, NetEase signed with Google, the web search to Google to do--NetEase's center of gravity at that time still in the network game. On the other hand, they are developing their own team of engineers.

At the end of 2006, "Yodao Youdao" launched the independent domain name of the public beta www.yodao.com, including web pages, pictures, blogs and a huge dictionary four products. After more than half a year of public testing, "Yodao Youdao" finally in NetEase's page to replace Google.

In NetEase, "Yodao Youdao" office completely independent, located in Tsinghua University Science and Technology Park, and Google and Sohu is not apart from hundred meters.

In contrast to that time, the portals and community sites that do the search now show a fanfare and all-out effort. NetEase now has a team of engineers close to 100 people, sogou 200 people, and Google China's team of engineers almost the scale. Tencent's engineering team is also growing. However, compared to Baidu's 500-person size, there is still distance.

NetEase "Yodao Youdao" in charge of Zhou Feng told Caijing reporter, in ding lei, the search engine is still in the early days of development, there are still opportunities to enter, such as blogs, mobile phones and map search, the commercial value of which is still to be excavated. Ding Lei believes that the Internet is the most profitable there are two things: one is the game, the second is advertising. NetEase can not give up the huge prospect of search engine advertising, although it is now in NetEase's plate only a small share.

NetEase's advertising revenue, online brand advertising is the Big Head, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively accounted for advertising revenue 92%, 91.2%, 90% and 92.6%, the rest from paid search ads.

In the view of NetEase, SMEs will continue to develop e-commerce, and let more and more enterprises with paid search ads. Despite the current, paid search advertising in China is still very elementary, the base is small, but the development rate than online brand advertising faster. Zhou Feng that NetEase was originally a technology-driven company with more than 2000 engineers. NetEase do mailbox and online games, the accumulation of a lot of technical experience and user experience are the basis for the search NetEase do.

In Sohu, Sogou is just a department of the company. NetEase "Yodao Youdao" is to take the mode of independent operation, even the office and other parts of NetEase are separate. Because Ding Lei personally responsible, NetEase "Yodao Youdao" at this stage do not care about market share, the first goal is customer satisfaction.

It is reported that NetEase "Yodao Youdao" resource allocation is 50:30:20, that is, basic platform 50%, front-end technology 30%, exploratory technology 20%. Currently launched four products, each positioning as: Web search and Image Search is the basic products, blog search has characteristics, is the front-end technology, a large dictionary is exploratory technology.

Zhou Feng is not in favor of the bidding ranking approach, which is closer to Google, different from Baidu and Sogou. Sogou Head, Sohu company vice President Wang Xiaoquan is optimistic about the prospect of bidding rankings.

A search company's PR in the "financial" reporter interview, for NetEase can do a good job search engine expressed doubt. In his view, there is a big difference between the search and gaming markets: Universal search is a winner-all market with technology and services, and the game is related to content and has a lot of market segments.
Sina launched a "love to ask" when the introduction of the search to launch a web-based interactive quiz platform, after a question has been raised, tens of millions of netizens have given you answers. "Love to ask" There are also local search, hope to provide users with the local area and life, entertainment, travel and other information related to the text and electronic map. These ideas are similar to today's "Baidu Know", as well as Google and Baidu's map products. But because there is no strong web search technology to support, these have become source.

Not just the pursuit of third

NetEase out of the Google single fly, Tencent's search will then follow the cause of concern. The news even said that the search was intended to be independent this year, out of caution and Google renewal.

Search and Tencent declined to comment. However, Google China President Lee Kai-fu Li in the "financial" reporter interviewed said that each site has the right to choose. But why Lenovo and Dell are using Microsoft's operating system, rather than doing it themselves, is because the cost of their own spending is not worth the candle. In Lee's view, search to make money depends on a number of factors: first, the accuracy of the search results, and the second is the accuracy of advertising.

In its 2005 and 2006 annual reports, Tencent mentioned that search-related advertising generated revenue but did not disclose specific figures. Industry recognition, Tencent user cohesion is the biggest advantage of Tencent's new business development. Tencent now gives GM search to Google, taking a copycat strategy to push the search community. For example, search the "ask", for the "Baidu Know"; Search for the music, for Baidu MP3, search search, for Baidu Bar. Tencent's user base makes its imitation strategy a threat.

NetEase's goal may be more than a third. But a real problem is that Baidu and Google in the market share ahead of the situation, the current NetEase, Sohu, Yahoo China and future Tencent, may only be the third one.

Last September, Beijing is looking for a consultancy survey showed that in the Beijing market, the search engine's share is Baidu first, Google second, Yahoo Third, Sohu fourth.

    Sohu Company vice President, Sogou Business Director Wang Xiaoquan in the "financial" reporter interviewed said, Sogou this year's goal is to stabilize the third in the industry. Wang Xiaoquan said, Sohu 2004 start to do search business, on the one hand for Sohu portal services, on the other hand, is in the accumulation of technology. Sogou is now the main source of income or fixed ranking system, bidding ranking is the future trend.
    
Sogou 200 people research and development teams, about One-third to half of the people do web search. Wang Xiaoquan said that Web search is the most important, the most technical requirements. China's Yahoo June High-profile announced the launch of "Universal search", hoping to occupy the commanding heights of intelligent search. As a member of Alibaba Group, China Yahoo Development Search has another meaning: Alibaba's main business is E-commerce, and search for E-commerce has a certain degree of substitution. Yahoo China is still not profitable, though it has long been the third-most-searched Chinese search. Yahoo China and Sina in search of the fate of the new competition has just joined the comprehensive category of Web sites sounded the alarm: even if the all-out fight to the third, may not be able to get the expected return.