Continuing to help businesses improve search results, software maker and
search engine magnate Inktomi Corp. revealed its Index Connect service to
the public Wednesday.
The tool helps content publishers to better manage their content, control
how frequently their site is crawled and make sure they are highly visible
on the Web. Inktomi created the tool in support of its oft-repeated belief
that as more pages pop on the Web, content purveyors need to find new ways
of making sure their material is fresh and that their search engines crawl
properly through the Web.
How does this work in context? Suppose an online news publication such as
RedHerring.com desires to publish stories in real-time. With Index Connect,
the organization would be able to control how frequently its site is crawled
to make breaking news stories available in real-time. Or, take Amazon.com;
the giant online seller of almost everything could publish updated inventory
information and inform search engine users of timely special offers at its
store.
Index Connect is also designed to incur revenue streams for its members as
content publishers are charged a fee each time a user accesses their Web
page through one of the Inktomi Index Connect network portals. Index Connect
members, which include several Inktomi network portals, will benefit from
increased revenue under the service’s pay-for-performance model while
providing their users with a larger offering of fresher content.
Figures for the potential revenue streams were not revealed Wednesday.
Current Index Connect content partners and participants include eBay,
Epinions Inc., IDG, KQED Public Broadcasting, LAUNCH Media Inc., LookSmart,
eLuminator, RollingStone.com, The Hunger Project and Virage.
“This new service gives content publishers more accurate representation in
the search index while providing portals with an incentive for connecting
users with the right information,” said Troy Toman, vice president and
general manager, Inktomi Search Solutions Division.
The service is the big brother to Inktomi’s Search/Submit tool launched last summer, as it is targeted for large Web sites with more than
1,000 URLs.
Smaller content publishers with less than 1,000 URLs shouldsubscribe to
Inktomi Search/Submit, which provides inclusion in the Inktomi search index
and an automatic 48 hour refresh on the content submitted for an annual fee.