Search used to be a simple transaction: you typed “best tacos near me,” the internet shrugged, and 10 blue links politely fought to the death. Now search is more like a conversation with a caffeinated concierge who answers your question, summarizes three articles you didn’t read, and gently suggests you “refine your prompt.” If the old web was a library, today’s web is a library where the librarian sometimes reads the book for you—and occasionally misquotes chapter five. Why This Matters Now Search is still the front door to the digital economy: it routes attention, shapes buying decisions, and determines whether your brilliant niche blog post becomes a revenue-generating lead magnet or dies quietly in tab 37. But the vibes are … complicated. Google’s shift toward AI-generated summaries (“AI Overviews”) has triggered publisher backlash and regulatory scrutiny, with U.K. regulators publicly proposing changes that would allow publishers to opt out of having their content used in AI-generated summaries. Meanwhile, Europe has also been pressing for fairer access and competition around search services and data. Into this chaos strolls Yahoo—yes, Yahoo—with a fresh AI-powered “answer engine” called Yahoo Scout, positioned as a more conversational, web-forward way to discover information. It’s rolling out in beta across Yahoo’s ecosystem in the U.S., including as a standalone experience. If you’re a marketer, that’s not just a product launch—it’s another reminder that “SEO” is getting a younger sibling with a new job title: answer engine optimization. The Search Market Share Race: Who’s Still Chasing Google?…
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