Recent comments from the CEO of Ask.com’s parent company suggest that the faltering search engine could be bought by one of its larger competitors.
Ask.com runs a distant fourth place to Google, Yahoo, and Bing in the search engine market, and does not look to be on the verge of any breakout gains. Barry Diller, CEO of Ask’s parent company IAC, recently told Reuters that "[w]e’ve been asked a lot whether we’re open to consolidating transactions in the area of search. The answer is yes, [a]nd it is unlikely that we would be the consolidator."
Search engine optimization (SEO) professionals could be left with fewer bases to cover in their efforts to improve internet visibility for client companies if any merger or sale occurs. Yahoo’s recent partial merger with Microsoft is further example of simplifying developments in the world of online search.
However, there are still barriers to the sale of Ask.com. Arnold Zafra, writing at Search Engine Journal, points out that Microsoft and Yahoo are unlikely to want to add a third partner so soon after their partial merger, and that Google has no real use for Ask.com’s capabilities.
