Internet software and application services company InfoSpace Inc. signed a
deal with Ask Jeeves Web Properties, a division of natural language search
operation Ask Jeeves Inc. to include Click Popularity Search InfoSpace’s
metasearch products.
Bellevue, Wash.-based InfoSpace Inc. offers metasearch
products that simultaneously search multiple search engines to gather and
display the most relevant results. InfoSpace products power search results at
Dogpile and MetaCrawler, as well as the Excite.com portal, among other sites.
“Ask Jeeves’ search technologies bring additional relevant results and useful
tools to our metasearch solutions…” said York Baur, InfoSpace executive
vice president for wireline and broadband. Financial arrangements were not
disclosed.
Emeryville, Calif.-based Ask Jeeves offers a Click
Popularity Search tool that aggregates and organizes online content by
tracking the products, services and information people seek, the amount of
time they spend at various Web sites, and how frequently they return. This
information is then used in a ranking algorithm to further refine the results
displayed.
The company’s Related Search is a tool used in connection with a user’s
primary search. The Related Search tool offers suggestions to broaden or
narrow a search.
On Monday, InfoSpace raised its guidance and said it expects first-quarter
revenue of about $31 million, with a pro forma per share loss of 2 cents to 3
cents a share. Previously, the company had expected revenue of about $28
million and a per share loss of between 3 cents and 4 cents a share.
For 2001, InfoSpace revenues fell 25 percent to $161.9 million. Net loss
before accounting changes rose 77 percent to $495.6 million. The company has
never made any money. Ask Jeeves reported its first profitable quarter at the
end of last year, making 3 cents a share.
