Two things happened this week that I believe signal the biggest challenge Google has faced since becoming the dominant player in search:
Today, Yahoo and Microsoft announced a 10 year partnership that combines their forces for a direct assault on Google. Microsoft's new Bing search technology will power Yahoo's search, and Yahoo will lead the advertising charge. For a more detailed explanation, click here.
Yes, Bing is new and I think it represents a shift in search. But the real shift in search is coming from Twitter, which unveiled it's new homepage this week. It looks a lot like Google and it's all about search. While Twitter grew on a commonly held feeling that it was a social networking/micro-blogging phenomena, it turns out that the real power of twitter may be in search.
Although a recent study purports to show most Americans aren't even aware of Twitter yet, it is well on its way. Twitter claims millions of unique visitors a month and the average Twitter user has 126 followers. I shudder to think what it will be like if in fact it is still widely unknown!
It's Twitter's search functionality and unique real time results that should concern Google. There are enough users Tweeting on enough topics so that one can getup to the second results on almost any query. Furthermore, these results are not filtered through an algorithm. The results come from what our peers have to say on the topic. Perform your next search on Google and then on Twitter and you'll see what I mean. Can you say "paradigm shift"?
The advertising piece of Twitter is still missing, and that fact may be at the root of it's egalitarian growth curve. But have no doubt, Twitter or someone that buys them (betting Google is thinking about it) will cash in soon.
The new search wars are underway!
