Google, Yahoo, MSN what's the difference?

X-Ranks: The shaping battle of quality methodologies: "It's been a long time coming but a picture is beginning to emerge of how the Big Four search engines really differ from each other in terms of ranking algorithms. Yahoo! remains the most secretive of the engines. Google's increasingly complex algorithm is the best documented, though least well-understood. When Yahoo! brought out its own search engine (April 2003), it supposedly combined the best features of Altavista, AllTheWeb, and Inktomi's technologies. Inktomi was the first major search engine to place significance on linkage. Inktomi relied on true, unweighted link popularity. Altavista's chief strength, in my opinion, lay in its ability to..."

Google Calling: Click-to-Call and the Future of Paid Search

Google Calling: Click-to-Call and the Future of Paid Search: "You may notice a new icon while cruising the Google search results this summer. Once again, Google will be testing a Click-to-Call feature.Expected to be in place by the end of June, the Click-to-Call phone icon will appear to the right of select paid search results. The phone icon indicates that the searcher can speak directly to the business indicated in the ad.Here's how it works: when a searcher clicks the phone icon they will be asked to type in their phone number. Then the searcher clicks 'connect' and Google calls the number they provided. Once the searcher picks up their phone they will hear ringing on the other end as Google connects them to the company running the ad.The call itself is free to the searcher and the company. However, the company will be paying on a pay-per-click (to-call) basis.For the searcher, Google Click-to-Call will provide an alternative to traditional internet sales and service by allowing the searcher to speak directly with the company of interest. The feature will also give skeptical searchers"