Yahoo Has Their Own Knowledge Graph, Not Without Their Own Embarrassing Issues

Yahoo has their own knowledge graph box at the top of the search results, but some of the results make you wonder if they need to rethink their algorithms.

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A year ago, we covered how Yahoo started testing a knowledge graph box in their search results. Well, now, for many knowledge graph oriented searches, Yahoo is indeed displaying the knowledge graph box.

The Knowledge Graph is a system that Google launched in May 2012 that understands facts about people, places and things and how these entities are all connected. Bing has their own version and now, so does Yahoo.

It is interesting to me that Yahoo, which is currently powered by Bing, does not utilize Bing’s knowledge graph data for their own. For example a search for [apple] on both Yahoo and Bing show different imagery, different snippets of information blocks but yes, both pull the description or bio from Wikipedia.

Here are screen shots that you can click on to enlarge:

yahoo-apple

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Same with searches on sport teams:

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bing-seattle-mariners

Same with searches on actors:

bing-will-ferrell

yahoo-will-ferrell

But the knowledge graph box doesn’t come without challenges, Google has had many, and Yahoo has their share. A reader sent us an example of how a search for [Erica Schmidt] in Yahoo returns the bio and picture for Google’s former CEO and current Executive Chairman, Eric Schdmit instead of Erica Schmidt, who is female and the wife of Peter Dinklage, the actor on HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Here is a picture:

yahoo-erica-schmidt

Both Google and Bing get it right:

google-erica-schmidt

bing-erica-schmidt


About the author

Barry Schwartz
Staff
Barry Schwartz is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed on Twitter here.

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