As its core initiatives to improve its search business, Yahoo has taken some dramatic steps to ensure it is out front of the semantic web. Improving search results will be critical because without some major change in the product, Google may well continue to grow its already colossal 60+ share of the market.
YDN is the Yahoo Developer Network, in which companies can use structured search data from yahoo to make apps that will improve the appearance and usefulness of search results. Here’s a vid that explains how developers can use the YDN to make search apps.
Semantic functionality is certainly one of the areas that Yahoo will encourage developers to focus on. Using Search Monkey, the developer can add additional layers of info to search results – including photography, reviews, deep links, etc. Developers will link site owner structured data to consumer search results using microformats or RDF. Developers will be able to add their apps to the yahoo search gallery so consumers can choose the apps that are most appealing to them.
In essence, the quality of search results will be directly connected to the amount and quality of structured data that uis provided by site owners.
Now, while a great deal of the value of YDN and the open platform relates more to navigational versus research searches, the same principles can apply to the research side of searches as well.
While semantics is only a portion of Yahoo’s overall YOS platform, it is a core concept. Additionally, Yahoo will be offering ways for data collected in different Yahoo services (e.g., Yahoo Travel, Fantasy baseball) to enhance individual searches. More relevant results will top the list based upon what consumers have shown interests in in the past.
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