Ask.com May Answer Google's Dominance

Nowadays, it's hard to imagine visiting a search engine other than Google.

For years -- the number somewhat irrelevant -- Google has been the "find machine" of choice, directing users to easy-to-navigate lists of the best and also most relevant sites in the query range.

For this writer, the last prominent search engine used prior to Google was probably Alta Vista...and that was a very, very long time ago (long before Y2K). However, now many insiders consider Ask.com to be a serious challenger to Google's popularity, and although there's a long way to go, the company is making serious strides in doing just that.

Ask.com evolved from the early search protocol Ask Jeeves, a whimsical little cover that featured a butler who answered everyday questions. It was a unique way of searching the 'net, but in the end, Ask Jeeves was simply not mainstream enough to survive the Google tidal wave.

Although that mountain of water drowned Jeeves, Ask.com itself has emerged as the fourth-ranked search engine on the web. Recently, old search favorite Lycos (remember them?) announced that they would be using Ask.com for search and sponsored listings, replacing goliaths Microsoft and Google, respectively. (source: news.com)

In addition, Ask.com has launched its own blog search engine, a wise move considering the latest format of Internetnews. Many of the big hitters in the online tech world utilize blogs and blog-type posts to inform surfers, and Ask's embracing of this community should prove a bountiful decision. (source: news.com)

Indeed, although Google has seen the most growth amongst search engines, according to Net Ratings and Nielson (24%), Ask.com is second and not far behind (19%).

So, the next time you make a 'net search, try Ask.com. A little competition is good, right Google? Not that they'd really know. ;-)