Search Alliance Global Algo Transition Update
- Posted October 18th, 2011 at 3:02 pm by Yahoo! Search
- Categories: Search, Search Alliance
It is with great pleasure I’d like to share that Yahoo! has completed the algorithmic transition to Bing in all global markets (except Korea), across desktop and mobile, for all Yahoo! and syndication traffic. This has been a huge effort spanning 20-plus months involving many people across Yahoo! and Microsoft. Only Korea, which involves a three-way integration between Yahoo, Microsoft and Daum, remains, and is expected to complete by the end of the year.
I often get asked what makes the algo transition effort so complex. Here are some of the interesting challenges we’ve had to deal with to provide some color to the effort:
- We had to cutover web, image and video search experiences from Yahoo!’s search technology backend to Bing’s algorithmic backend for 40-plus markets, across desktop and mobile devices.
- In addition to Yahoo’s owned and operated search experiences, we also had to cut over hundreds of our syndication partners in more than 50 markets, while ensuring a smooth transition for users of our wildly popular Yahoo! Search BOSS service.
- Cutting over to the Bing backend was not simply a matter of technical integration through the Bing API. We worked with Microsoft to ensure that Bing’s algorithmic quality in each of these markets was on par or better than Yahoo!’s quality. Wherever we found quality gaps, we worked collaboratively with our counterparts at Bing to provide data driven assessments of quality gaps to help us close the gaps quickly. Only when both teams had established that the quality bar in a market was met, did we green light the cutover.
- A very important design principle was to ensure availability of all key user experience elements of the Yahoo! search experience post-cutover. This meant that we had to perform a comprehensive analysis of product features per market, assess which of those would require support from the Bing platform, and which features Yahoo! would have to continue to develop and invest in.
- Creating a migration path to Bing Webmaster tools for users of Yahoo! Site Explorer, while continuing to support Site Explorer for international users during the transition period proved challenging.
- We had to confirm Bing could handle Yahoo’s capacity across multiple global datacenters, including new ones that were brought online to serve the needs of the Search Alliance. The fact that all the cutovers went remarkably smoothly and were essentially non-events from an operational perspective is a testament to the thorough job both teams did.
- For all our major markets, we ran comprehensive bucket tests to compare the Yahoo! search experience going against the Yahoo! and Bing backends. We monitored key user experience metrics to ensure that the product experience post cutover would be on par or better for our customers.
- We had to put in place support and customer care processes that ensured user concerns and content issues were handled appropriately between our companies, working through policy differences to ensure the right outcome for all stakeholders.
For those of us who have been deeply involved in the algo transition, this has easily been one of the best learning experiences of our professional lives. All the late nights, war room huddles, SeaTac trips and time away from families, all of the technical deep dives, business negotiations, ‘pausing & unpausing’ ;-), have all been worth it. I am extraordinarily privileged to have worked with an exceptional group of people, both within Yahoo! and Microsoft — you all know who you are. Thank you so much for your dedication and commitment to delivering the best possible search experience for our users.
– Kartik Ramakrishnan, VP of Search Engineering, Yahoo!
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Congrats Kartik & team!
I am very interesting to know if “everywhere” (except Korea) includes Japan? And if yes, it is quite a surprising move, ne?
nice post love to read this article. many many thanks to auther.
Great Move! Keep it up boys!
I’m excited for you. Shareholders should be too. Congrats!
it is a good news actuarlly,it will be more convinient for our lives in the future.
Like this kind of style!
I think Yahoo has done pretty well since the US algo change. Yahoo has been able to maintain great market share despite the Bing algo change.
Search algorithms need to be more humane
What’s the matter with Korea ?
Congrats!
Well done to everyone on the teams. The best of both worlds (Bing and Yahoo) should give Google a run for their money.
When you are going to kill YSE?
Have you guys tried to hire Matt cuts yet?
i like this
Great Move! Keep it up boys
it excites me a lot. Congrats to Kartik Ramakrishnan on such a move
Looks great. Any updates regarding the Google’s deal?
great news, thats a big achievement and great to hear it, hopefully you’ll take Google to the cleaners
wonderful news
great news, this is awesome.
that’s a very cool news.It will make shareholders happy.
Wow,
That is fantastic news for Yahoo!
Great news, now you can start taking some of Googles market share away and really start competing with them
it is a good news actuarlly,it will be more convinient for our lives in the future.
When Can I get a well integrated Yahoo App for my Windows Phone ?
have worked with an exceptional group of people, both within Yahoo! and Microsoft — you all know who you are. Thank you so much for your dedication and commitment to delivering the best possible search experience for our users.
good news for peole.
Congratulations and Success
nice info,can’t wait more posts from u guys…thanks
Keep it up men! Thanks to the info.
A very important design principle was to ensure availability of all key user experience elements of the Yahoo! search experience post-cutover. This meant that we had to perform a comprehensive analysis of product features per market, assess which of those would require support from the Bing platform, and which features Yahoo! would have to continue to develop and invest in
I think Yahoo has done pretty well since the US algo change. Yahoo has been able to maintain great market share despite the Bing algo change.
Thanks for the update. We depend on these insights to plan our strategies for moving forward. I would say you have been doing a great job merging the assets together!
This meant that we had to perform a comprehensive analysis of product features per market, assess which of those would require support from the Bing platform, and which features Yahoo! would have to continue to develop and invest in
Yahoo!’s search technology backend to Bing’s algorithmic backend for 40-plus markets, across desktop and mobile devices.
Good job and maybe it will be a good news for webmaster
Thanks for the update.
Thanks for the update. I love Bing Webmaster Tools!
Great move.
it’s cool ,, congrats and keep spirit.
i love it,
I think yahoo is really advanced search engine as compare with others because people can read latest geographical news without logon or without search. That’s why I love yahoo.
Great News! I liked
Keep Good Working
Great Move! Keep it up boys!
Great work from Kartik’s team! YSE stil remains my favourite tool.
I hope this will be a new beginning and to gain market share against Google. That would be really cool! Lets all use Yahoo search!
Great news for Yahoo! and Bing. Congratulations.
It is a great thing when two great search engines collaborate. I think it will be more efficient if more SE get involved
Congratulations and Success Site Explorer Updates.
this is not so nice!
Wow, wonderful news but i am using to Site Explorer search backlinks. I now not found it :S Help me anoyone please..
Optimal union between two large companies, Yahoo and Bing now has a greater chance to advance in the search market.
Seems like finally the yahoo site explorer is OFF.
Good by Site Explorer. It was simply the best tool for research.
Best of luck to Yahoo-Bing Team!
I like this,thanks.
Also I would like to congrat Bing team as the results are pretty good now.
O it is a sad day to see yahoo site explore go; but hope the merge makes things a lot better.
It’s can make my blog better than for indexed, cuz my blog is very late to index yahoo and bing…
I dont know how well Bing will do!!! I hope it works as well or better than yahoo site explorer!
A long time coming, but congratulations. Bing is certainly a great search platform and getting better all the time.
Looks good. Thanks for the update. We depend on these insights to plan our strategies for moving forward. I would say you have been doing a great job merging the assets together!
it’s a pity – I used YSE very much
why yahoo siteexplorer now unavailable?
Surprise me! Happy to enjoy with bing & yahoo !
I think Yahoo has done pretty well since the US algo change. Yahoo has been able to maintain great market share despite the Bing algo change.
I think Yahoo has done pretty well since the US algo change. Yahoo has been able to maintain great market share despite the Bing algo change.
nice post! thanks to you!
i don’t like it
Congratulations for the Successful transfer
Just beat google! I like Yahoo and Bing search
Does that mean site explorer is gone forever! My trusted SEO tool to reverse engineer my competitors ..Sad day :(
that the good news but i hope will not make new website become hard to approve on the list
Thanks for the update. We depend on these insights to plan our strategies for moving forward. I would say you have been doing a great job merging the assets together!!! UP
feel so sad, we lost yahoo site
I agree to your strategy. It is nice that we use the best serch engine.
This meant that we had to perform a comprehensive analysis of product features per market, assess which of those would require support from the Bing platform, and which features Yahoo! would have to continue to develop and invest in
In this World Wide Web business, I think we will always be learning and growing. I hope the transition will benefit everyone, because we all want to get better at what we do.
New age for algorithms i like it waiting to see more!
Keep it up men! Thanks to the info.
I am very interesting to know if “everywhere” (except Korea) includes Japan? And if yes, it is quite a
Yahoo! search experience post-cutover
Keep it up men! Thanks to the info.
make money with out spending a DIME
yahoo & bing are the great search engines.
Congratz for this great news!
GOOD CHANGES
I liked this option. But now I got to see Bing platform.
I’m excited for you. Shareholders should be too.
I hope the algorithms will have the same efficiency, and the investments won’t stop here.
Congratulations and Success
Does this mean that the search results from Bing and Yahoo are going to be the same now?
how to submit sitemap?
great this is good.
Excellent so much fun YAHOO and BING connected so we do not have to search results that Google provides us dirty.
that is so bad.
Congratulations, you guys done great work.
I like the Yahoo webmaster tools, hope can use.
Interesting article, I thank you Kartik & team!
Thanks for the update
We need back the old version i cant see my backlinks now what can i do???
Thank you Kartik! Great work from you and all the team!
Sad that the link explorer has been muted. Hope we see the Bing algo emerge in something that we now couldn’t imagine.
Nice to hear. Hope its will perfect.
This is not a good update.
I always loves to read any thing about Yahoo. I feel glad whenever Yahoo get updates. Keep it up.
too too bad !
i prey for a better function than before, lets see if bing could make it better…
Thanks so far yahoo!
Yahoo!’s search technology backend to Bing’s algorithmic backend for 40-plus markets, across desktop and mobile devices.
nice article i really enjoyed reading it . thanks again for sharing this amazing news.
Dani From London.
This cannot be true! I’m really shocked. Congrats Kartik!
Like this kind of style!
Woah, great combination between yahoo and bing.
I hope Bing Google will give war a larger competition was challenging
Thank you for all the information
this is the good news, they will be good search engine ever. good job!!!
I hope yahoo perfect Congratulations and Success
•A very important design principle was to ensure availability of all key user experience elements of the Yahoo!
I think Yahoo has done pretty well working through policy differences to ensure the right outcome for all stakeholders.
.
This is a sensible move and hopefully will provide a platform to compete in this dominated market. It will be interesting to see how this pans out in the months to come. btw I second the request to be able to manage webmaster tools in a mobile app…
very usefull post, thank yout it is very importent for my sites which works for seo, sorry for my bad english
Yes !!!
Shame really, great tool now gone by the wayside. Hopefully there will be some new incarnation of it at some stage.
Great news, now you can start taking some of Googles market share away and really start competing with them
Congratulations cant wait!
thanks for sharing … i like it …
i like it sir , thanks for sharing
Good news! Congratulations and Success!
I guess this make things more convenient. Might not be a bad move. Let’s see how things work out.
I’m excited for you all. Shareholders should be too. Congrats!
That is great news for Yahoo!
I’m sorry I do not understand something
Muy Bueno !!
good luck to my business
no wonder why I see the backlink is zero, so this is what has happen to yahoo
Congrats! :)
Great Move! Keep it up boys!
damn…all my sites are gone! Now I have to register 201 sites again??
Keep it up men! Thanks to the info
We will really miss some of the great tools that yahoo offered and now disabled after bing has taken over of ysearch.
That is fantastic news for Yahoo!
keep up the good work:)
Oh Yahoo, Thank you for update algo.
I think good . Thank you for information update.
Great Move! I like this.Thanks to the info.
Great news. Congratulations and Success
Great news. Congratulations and Success
it is a good news actually,it will be more convenient for our lives in the future.
wonderful work,Today i cam to yahoo webmaster tool,I saw this message.thanks yahoo love you
This is very good news for many people
Thanks for the update.
I don’t know why you guys stop run Yahoo Site Explorer. Besides the messenger, Yahoo Site Explorer was the only reason for that i use your services. Now now many people do not just want to hear from you. Please don’t bother because you’ll never catch Google. Who do you think will optimize site for yahoo and bing when you have an insignificant market share?
yahoo and bing should corporate together and beat google, this is business strategy
Yahoo!’s search technology backend to Bing’s algorithmic backend for 40-plus markets, across desktop and mobile device
yes, it really a great news that Yahoo! has completed the algorithmic transition to Bing in all global markets. It’s link function have great help for SEO for knowing the out page optimizing, hope it can become normal soon !
Wow, that’s unbelievable. Korea, you’re next! Lol.
What an amazing accomplishment!
perfect job, like
thanks for your good news. helpful
Another site to explore *other* sites e.g. competitors?
Thank you for update.
I loved this tool, it’s very sad because it was the only service i used Yahoo for…
Thanks for the update
Thanks you the tips
Very good move by both Yahoo! and Bing. I’m sure this will be tough challenge to Google Analytics in future. Good luck Karthik and his clan for the hard dedication and commitment.
Anjana Silva
This is awesome!
thanks for your service
thanks for your good news. helpful
Who can give me the new add?
when we can use it?
Congratulations on the merger and all the work!
Good job, guys!
nice sir ji……
you all know who you are. Thank you so much for your dedication and commitment to delivering the best possible search experience for our users.
good!
great information -Very good move by both Yahoo! and Bing
pls help me link my url with your search engine. thank you :)
thanks for your service..
Congratulations good job guys!
when we can use it?
Thanks for the update.
you all know who you are. Thank you so much for your dedication and commitment to delivering the best possible search experience for our users.
Nice. I’m excited to you. Viva yahoo and bing. Go to be the best search engine.
i can’t reach yahoo web master tools , i was , but now i can’t , what’s the URL please ? .
very help fully post
I thing, the fusion of technologies looks fine. The webmaster tools of Yahoo is better than Bing and Bing have other tools better than Yahoo. I aprove this fusion.
I agree to your strategy. It is nice that we use the best serch engine.
great information -Very good move by both Yahoo! and Bing
thanks for sharing for your dedication and commitment to delivering the best possible search experience for our users.
This is really best for both yahoo! and bing.
Viva yahoo and bing. Go to be the best search engine.
I loved this tool, it’s very sad because it was the only service i used Yahoo .
Impressive, yahoo never cease to surprise me. However, your service is great. With Yahoo and Bing, wow… lets see!
Great. It is good for Yahoo supporters.
I loved this tool, it’s very sad because it was the only service i used Yahoo
Why is it a surprising move?
why is it a surprise? Not happy, but what a move by microsoft, bing. Lot of webmasters will be using bing webmaster tools now. Only reliable way to chk on backlinks.
I hope this works for me and ppl are able to locate my company site. Thanks!!!
thanks for your information. It is very helpful
Nice to hear. Hope its will perfect.
Great Move!
great article, keep it up good work!!!
!! yahoo and bing. Go to be the best search engine.
Great. It is good for Yahoo supporters.
The site is not well indexed
Go yahoo! and bing! these two search engines have by far been my favorite. Congrats!
Major changes in the industry search engine !!
why is it a surprise? Not happy, but what a move by microsoft, bing. Lot of webmasters will be using bing webmaster tools now. Only reliable way to chk on backlinks.
Great. It is good for Yahoo supporters.
Go yahoo! and bing! these two search engines have by far been my favorite. Congrats!
i don’t like it
i can’t see the backlinks ;-(
great for newbies. thank for all
I like this,thanks.
Good Work . Submit your site and get more visitor thanks . i have 100% result on both .
thxs for your sharing
nice info,can’t wait more posts from u guys
Great Move!
Great. It is good for Yahoo supporters….
Seems like finally the yahoo site explorer is OFF.
Good by Site Explorer. It was simply the best tool for research.
Best of luck to Yahoo-Bing Team!
I can’t see the backlinks too..
informative and nice post. thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for support my blog site.
This is a great content, I’m so glad that I’ve found this high quality blog!
It is best for finding the detail then other ways.
very good yahoo and bing thank you
There are plenty of good points here, but I’m not sure that under real-time search being discarded. I agree that it is very important, but not the point of that to show what people is saying today about a topic.
Congratulation Great. It is good & nice for Yahoo and yahoo user’s
great information – thanks Yahoo! and Bing
Congrats Kartik & team!
I am very glad for this post. This is a very nice post.
I really do love this!!! congrats and success to ALL involved. Competition is a great thing.
thanks alot for providing such useful informtion. Nice website
great work of Microsoft and Bing we appreciate it
I love when some one sticks their neck out, bravo
feel so sad we lost yahoo site
Congratulations and Success Site Explorer Updates
I Like This,Thanks.
hi
I wanna know how i can add my site in yahoo directory?
i came hear but i didnt see a place for adding my site!
i can’t see the backlinks ;-(
yes….amazing……thanks
I think these changes would need a long time period to be adapted by the users.
Bing, wow… lets see!
Thanks for the update. thanks to you!
competition can only be a good thing for us all
Thanks for update!
Lets giver it a try.
Thanks for all from dutch
great page ;)
thank you for the notification!
Thanks for the update. thanks to you!
wooww i like this thanks
assess which of those would require support from the Bing platform, and which features Yahoo! would have to continue to develop and invest in
I like the Yahoo webmaster tools, hope can use.
a very hard work!!! hope it will work properly.