Sign in Subscribe
Internet services

Lycos Launches Enhanced Internet Search and Indexing Service

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Lycos, Inc. has unveiled its revamped Internet search and indexing service, boasting innovative content, improved accessibility, and superior responsiveness through an easy-to-use interface. The new service, launched on October 4, 1995, offers a variety of features, including a new search form, regularly updated listings of the world's largest number of Internet links, and support for Hot Java animation. According to Lycos' president and CEO, Robert J. Davis, the company has enhanced its performance, accessibility, and responsiveness to cater to the diverse needs of its users, including new and seasoned Internet users.

Key Takeaways:

  • Lycos' new service offers a comprehensive Internet catalog with over 8 million Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), doubling in size from the previous catalog.
  • The company has improved its performance by adding substantial network capacity and more than a dozen new high-end servers, resulting in a 300% growth in usage base over the last two months.
  • Lycos' reengineered searching algorithms have contributed to dramatic performance improvements and significantly decreased search times.
  • The new Lycos interface features improved web navigation, including a navigation and status bar, a mini-map of its entire site, and a text-only navigation bar.
  • Lycos offers free backlinking to webmasters worldwide, enabling users to surf the web from their favorite web site environment.
  • The company has incorporated a spider-generated "Lycos 250" section, ranking the top 250 most popular web sites based on objective web popularity.
  • Lycos' new search form allows users to set their own search parameters and easily uncover a vast array of information.
  • The company has refined its results page to ensure that users' searches are as clear and easy-to-use as possible.

Statistics:

  • Over 8 million Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) in Lycos' catalog
  • 300% growth in usage base over the last two months
  • More than 8 million queries from Lycos' diverse array of users each month
  • Over 90% of the web is covered by Lycos' catalog
  • Only 12% of the web is cataloged by other search engines
  • Lycos users include college-educated, middle-to-upper-income individuals between the ages of 18 and 35
  • More than 40% of Lycos users rely solely on Lycos as their internet search engine

Sources:

  • Lycos, Inc. press release, October 4, 1995
  • Interview with Robert J. Davis, Lycos' president and CEO
  • Lycos, Inc. website (http://www.lycos.com)

Read more