As of yesterday, I removed the mobile Safari browser from my iPhone’s main bar and replaced it with Yahoo Axis. Why would I ever do such a thing? Well, as an SEO specialist, it’s my job to understand new developments in search, whether that’s a change in an algorithm, how social signals are impacting search results, or what a new search app is like. I want to fully understand Yahoo Axis.
For those that don’t know, Yahoo Axis is Yahoo’s new mobile and desktop app. It’s supposed to be an enhanced tool to make search…better? Well, I’ll be completely honest: I don’t much care for Yahoo as a search resource. On a personal level, Google consistently provides me with higher quality and more relevant results.
However, before I discount Yahoo Axis as a dying engine’s last attempt to remain relevant (yeah, I already put that out on Google+), I’ve committed to using Yahoo Axis exclusively for seven days. After that, I’ll make the call. Here’s what I’m hoping to discover.
- Are SERPs in Yahoo Axis any different than those on yahoo.com?
- What are the cool features of Yahoo Axis that make it worth using?
- What are the flaws of Yahoo Axis?
- Are there ways to optimize sites for ranking, appearance, or CTR in Yahoo Axis?
- Is Yahoo Axis completely irrelevant to users in 2012 and does it deserve to be completely written off?
So, like I said, I’m planning to use nothing but Yahoo Axis when performing mobile searches on my iPhone for a full week. I’m tracking how many searches I run per day and estimate I’ll hit about 175-200 searches in a week. If you want to follow me on Twitter, I’ll be Tweeting my reactions using the hashtag #AxisTrial. I encourage you to do the same. 😉
As I embark on this journey, I’d love to hear your initial thoughts about Yahoo Axis.
- Do you use it?
- What do you like?
- What do you hate?
- Are you even going to bother with it?
If you’re interested in me doing the research for you (I’ll be putting out a post with my conclusions), let me know if you think one week is enough time. Perhaps I need to up the time-frame to two weeks.
Discussions