Ahrefs Invests $60 Million In Its New Search Engine – Yep

Ahrefs, a well-known SEO tool, has been quietly developing its own search engine – Yep, for the last 3 years, with $60 million in funding.

It’s a one-of-a-kind proposition, as it runs its own search index instead of depending on Google or Bing APIs.

What is Yep by Ahrefs?

Yep is a creator-friendly web search engine that may be used for a variety of purposes. Yep will be accessible in most countries and languages shortly.

Ahrefs is attempting to establish itself as a Google rival. Over the last two decades, though, we’ve seen a lot of Google challengers come and go. For the time being, let’s simply refer to it as a Google alternative.

Why Yep Can Be the Best Alternative to Google?

So, how does Yep want to become a major Google alternative? The two most important criteria are listed below.

1. Users’ Privacy Assurance

By default, Yep will not gather personal information (such as geolocation, name, age, or gender). Your search history on Yelp will not be saved. Only your keywords, preferred language, and approximate geographical location will be collected to provide you better search results.

According to Yep, aggregated search information will be used to enhance algorithms, typo corrections, and search suggestions.

Also Read: Google says the IT rules for social media can’t be implied on it

Ahrefs CEO Dmytro Gerasymenko said,

“We will track how many times a word is searched for and the position of the link getting the most clicks. But we won’t create your profile for targeted advertising.”

2. 90/10 Profit-Sharing Model

Ahrefs’ search engine will function on a 90/10 profit-sharing model, in which the company would split 90 percent of its advertising income with content providers.

The reason for this is because Google presents information in its search results without requiring the user to visit the page. This indicates that websites are losing visitors. Less traffic equals less money for many websites.