I noticed earlier this year (I think it was about that time) that AOL removed the search function from the www.aol.com site and now you can only search from http://search.aol.com/.

Do you think that this is either a trend that they will eventually get out of the search business or that they are giving up the portal race with the aol.com site?

I wonder how many people that actually do go to aol.com know that a search function exists any more? :confused:

I'm all for search engine competition, but since AOL simply regurgitates Google results, I think they should get out of search. But they are the top 4 search destinations, most likely by all those lazy aol users who don't know how to get out of the AOL maze.

I wonder how many people that actually do go to aol.com know that a search function exists any more? :confused:

assuming from other AOL mentality I would assume that they would want subscribers to login to enjoy their premium search service. BLA...

I think AOL will continue with the search function long into the future and just utilize whatever the best search technology of the day is. Their thing is advertising not developement.

Im sure they must get a fair chunk of PPC revenue too. Just did a search for SEO Company (http://search.aol.com/aolcom/search?invocationType=topsearchbox.%2Faolcom%2Find ex.jsp&query=seo+company) and in typical AOL fashion the real serps are buried under at least 4 adds.

IMO, if it isn't fed from Google, Yahoo or MSN direct results, any search provider could just be pushing sh*t uphill.

IMO, if it isn't fed from Google, Yahoo or MSN direct results, any search provider could just be pushing sh*t uphill.

Teoma is good stuff too. They have some of the coolest technology.

Is there access to AOL search in the AOL browser?

I don't use them myself ;)

I have a take one and throw it away policy anywhere I see an AOL cd. when I was on a deployment they activated my account for 6 months and only were able to give me a portion of it back when I came back.

I had to get rid of that computer as I could not get their stuff off of it. they actually had a lawsuit over the stuff they did back then. of course i was underway or whatever and never found out what happened.

I don't think AOL will drop search because search is an important element of any portal which is likely a large part of why Google is the provider. They are perceived by users to provide the best search results. Search is the second most used internet service behind email. How can a portal be a portal without search?

There is also the question of personaliztion of search which AOL, Yahoo!, MSN and Amazon are uniquely positioned with large communities. IMO, Gmail is how Google plans to compete with these properties on the personalization front. You could come to the conclusion that analyzing mail could be about more than placing ads it would be a huge advantage in personalized search.

Teoma is good stuff too. They have some of the coolest technology.
I'm partial to Teoma myself.

Apart from the Google listings AOL also sells branded response ads similiar to AskJeeves. And since we just negotiated from a pile of terms I would say they are not looking to drop this money maker just yet.
And I would think they get a percentage of the AdWords income just like any other publisher.

AOL is one of the ISP's i have (came free with the comp) and there is still an AOL search box there when you sign on. Maybe they should just buy INK since Yahoo just plans to let it die as a brand.

AOL is one of the top 4 search places. They could do well to have their own unique search apart for Google.

If I were advising AOL, definitely not. Getting out of search when they have such brand loyalty and market penetration could in the long run be too costly. Presently ad revenue is too dynamic an economic force and searchers are worth too many dollars to let the search function fade. As long as AOL provides the results its audience thinks is relevant, they can maintain a holding pattern and a wait and see approach to the developing search engine competition.

I know the guys over at AutoTrader.com are paying over a million a month to AOL....

My 2 cents.

Aol is playing the same game as MSN...biding their time with Google, building legitimacy, and waiting to complete and release their own indexing/algo.

Let's face it, that $1.1billion reported adwords revenue is too big for anyone to ignore.

My 2 cents.

Aol is playing the same game as MSN...biding their time with Google, building legitimacy, and waiting to complete and release their own indexing/algo.

Let's face it, that $1.1billion reported adwords revenue is too big for anyone to ignore.
That number will shoot to 6 billion with the next 2 years.

If they are doing 7% of all search traffic, and get the standard (or above average) 60%-70%+ rev share from Google, they are making $100M - $200M a year in ad revenue. So it would be unlikely they would remove that very profitable rev source. Additionally they bought the audio/video site Singingfish last year, so they clearly are looking at adding to their existing search product offering.

Additionally they bought the audio/video site Singingfish last year, so they clearly are looking at adding to their existing search product offering.

Maybe they are trying to make themselves look more appealing to potential investors? Or maybe TW will look at cutting their losses by cutting AOL.

AOL is one of the top 4 search places. They could do well to have their own unique search apart for Google.

Yes, TWX needs only a proprietary PPC platform and a search engine of their own to become a fully self-monetized. Wisenut is nearly idle. FindWhat is proven. Many possibilities.
The most logical choice of all would be ASK!!

Hmm...as the few, the inept, the AOL Users... :rolleyes:
my default search is always AOL...if they were to drop their search engine they could probably sell the "official search engine of AOL" chip, which could potentially offer up the number two spot in search engines.

I wouldn't doubt it if AOL gets out of the ISP business. They have done everything wrong to date. Sad truth, AOL has been on a path to self destruction for over five years.