When Yahoo handed search over to Microsoft, it shut down some of its developer programs but one that survived was Yahoo BOSS, its search API for other websites. Last summer, however, Yahoo announced that BOSS would no longer be free for developers.
Today, Yahoo finally released the upcoming pricing for Yahoo BOSS. Unlimited searches across the Web will cost 80 cents per 1,000 searches, with cheaper prices for a more limited index (40 cents), images (30 cents), and news (10 cents). Sites that generate enough search volume can apply for Yahoo search advertising to also be shown. A portion of any resulting revenues presumably would be applied against the charges, and maybe even help developers make a little money off search.
That is the way Google’s custom search API works. Google actually charges more on a cost-per-thousand basis (anywhere from $4 to $5 per 1,000 searches), but it remits a portion of that based on how search ads perform on your site. For moderate to large sites, the calculus will be which search API can deliver the most revenue after all is said and done. For developers who just want access to Web search, the lower cost of Yahoo BOSS could certainly be appealing. It is at least five times cheaper on a pure cost per search basis (assuming it is not offset by any search revenue).
BOSS (Build your Own Search Service) is Yahoo!’s open search web services platform. The goal of BOSS is simple: to foster innovation in the search industry. Developers, start- ups, and large Internet companies can use BOSS to build and launch web-scale search products that utilize the entire Yahoo! Search index. BOSS gives users access to Yahoo!’s investments in crawling and indexing, ranking and relevancy algorithms, and powerful infrastructure. Combining a client’s assets and ideas with Yahoo’s search technology, BOSS...
Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world’s information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers a plethora of online tools and platforms including: Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Google+, the company’s extension into the social space. Most of its Web-based products are free, funded by Google’s highly integrated online advertising platforms AdWords and AdSense. Google promotes the idea that advertising should be highly targeted and relevant to users thus providing...
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