Following the lead of Google, Yahoo has added a real-time search function into its search results, gathering tweet data from Twitter in order to present a fuller picture of the up-to-the-second happenings on the net.
Search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns that target Yahoo results will not be affected as dramatically as those on Google – where the real-time results are directly embedded into the results page – but analysts say that the addition will nevertheless signal a shift in Yahoo-based SEO.
The tech punditry is not universally approving of the move to real-time search, however. IT Pro Portal writes that real-time search has the potential to be "a massive fad if not properly executed." That website also warns that cyber criminals could take advantage of real-time search to spread malware.
The real-time search announcement also comes hard on the heels of this week’s finalization of a partial merger between Yahoo and Microsoft, which will see those companies attempt to compete with Google in the search engine market. Under those terms, Microsoft’s Bing search engine will power the results from Yahoo’s online portal.
