Can Google handle search engine coopetition?

Google is the number one search engine, by far. Anyone that wants to be anything on the Web needs Google SEO and/or Google AdWords to accomplish its mission, even direct Google competitors! 

Primary Google rival Yahoo, owner of search engine number two, buys Google AdWords.

Google owns a 5% equity stake in AOL, search engine number four; AOL “Sponsored Links” are at Google.

Ask.com, search engine number five, has a paid listing supply agreement with Google, which is up for renewal.

Google’s Matt Cutts, says at his “personal” blog today, “I noticed a few interesting non-Google tidbits in search news this week.”

What tidbits did Cutts notice? What he deems to be “snarky” information on the strategies of all of Google’s direct search competitors, except for AOL, the one Google owns an equity stake in.

Cutts on Yahoo: If you participate in Yahoo’s premium pay-for-inclusion program (say that five times fast), you get to submit your choice of “Quick Links” for your site’s listing in Yahoo’s organic search results.

Cutts on Microsoft: An offer for companies to install a browser helper object (BHO) on company computers to measure search usage, and Microsoft will offer service credits for deployment and training services from Microsoft.

Cutts on Ask.com: Doh! Ask doesn’t have even a single page from its own ad campaign site, and Google indexes the “information revolution” much better than Ask does.

Cutts’ mission accomplished? Who knows what the mission is.

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