Dogpile announced today that it has results from all four major engines, and plugged a study (download) that shows results do not overlap as much as we might thing. SEW has an article about that study here.
From Dogpile’s release:
Dogpile announced the integration of search results from MSN Search to their industry-leading metasearch technology that combines the best results from the Web’s top search engines. With this announcement, Dogpile will be the exclusive home to all four of the Web’s leading search engines—MSN Search, Google, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves.
While most people believe search results across all four engines are the same, the reality is the vast majority of the results from each engine are different and do not overlap. This fact was validated by a new study conducted jointly at the University of Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania State University… (which found that) only 1.1% of page one results were the same on all four engines.
Has adding MSN made Dogpile any better?
Searching “computer” at Dogpile produces a first page of 20 ‘results’. All but these 3 are adverts disguised as results :-
“4. Webopedia [Found on MSN Search, Google, Yahoo!, Ask Jeeves]
10. Apple [Found on LookSmart Reviewed, MSN Search, Yahoo!]
16. CA [Found on MSN Search, Google, Yahoo!] ”
Dogpile and SEW stress the fact that most people don’t venture beyond the first page. What difference does it make how much overlap the metasearched engines do or don’t have, if the search only shows *three* actual results?
I guess it’s pointless to ask here, but, again … why don’t search pundits treat Dogpile with the scorn, if not disgust, they deserve? What does John’s new book have to say about Dogpile, and the shabby practice of duplicitous ‘sponsored links’ generally?
(More of my disgust here: http://battellemedia.com/archives/001518.php)
1.1% is surprising and a good eye catcher for their PR purposes but in my experience the overlap is at least 20-30%. Still remarkably different and no reason to go to Dogpile either way
>Searching “computer” at Dogpile produces a first page of 20 ‘results’. All but these 3 are adverts disguised as results
exactly, their study would have been a bit more useful if it looked at pay per click network overlap, since most of the results are Overture, AdWords, Miva, etc.