If Lycos as a name does not grab your attention right away, you may be missing the size of the scope of the deal that has Ask replacing a couple of pretty big names on the Lycos network.
That’s all changed now. Earlier today, Ask announced its deal with Lycos, booting out Google and Microsoft from that network. Again, you may think, “so what?”
“The query volume that Lycos generates is in the same ballpark as MySpace’s,” Andrew Moers, Ask VP for Business Development & Syndication Solutions, told Murdok in an email interview. “It was a very competitive deal process and we worked hard to win this one.”
A high query volume means more ad exposures, which should lead to more clicks and more revenue. The opportunity began several months ago, as Moers explained that Ask had pursued the Lycos deal for the better part of a year.
Moers also told us that the number of queries generated through Lycos per month are much higher than what measurement firm comScore credits Lycos with sending to search engines.
I was curious why Lycos would take what looked like, by the numbers, a step away from the top of the search engine world. A Lycos spokesperson said the company like the features Ask could bring to the deal, and cited what Ask users commonly see when using its search: the Zoom features, providing Narrow Your Search, Expand Your Search, and Related Names functionality.
Lycos has aspirations toward gaining users with its entries into the video products and services arena. The company sees Ask as having the quality technology to help enhance the Lycos brand with its search.
IAC/Interactive’s top executive Barry Diller has publicly stated he wants to see Ask, part of his stable of Internet properties, reach ten percent share in the search market. The Lycos deal may help Ask move closer to fulfilling Diller’s vision.
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David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
