WebCrawler
{{about|the search engine|web crawling programs in general|web crawler}}
{{pp-move-dispute|small=yes}}
{{short description|Web search engine}}
{{Infobox website
| name = WebCrawler
| logo = Webcrawler logo 2018.png
| logo_caption = Logo since 2018
| caption = Logo since 2018
| url = {{URL|webcrawler.com}}
| commercial = No
| type = Search engine
| language = English
| registration = none
| owner = System1
| author = Brian Pinkerton
| current_status = Active
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|1994|04|20}}
}}
WebCrawler is a search engine, and one of the oldest surviving search engines on the web today. For many years, it operated as a metasearch engine. WebCrawler was the first web search engine to provide full text search.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thehistoryofseo.com/The-Industry/Short_History_of_Early_Search_Engines.aspx |title=Short History of Early Search Engines |publisher=The History of SEO |access-date=2019-02-03 |archive-date=2019-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121213229/http://www.thehistoryofseo.com/The-Industry/Short_History_of_Early_Search_Engines.aspx |url-status=dead }}
History
File:Webcrawler screenshot 1995.png
Brian Pinkerton first started working on WebCrawler, which was originally a desktop application, on January 27, 1994 at the University of Washington. On March 15, 1994, he generated a list of the top 25 websites.
WebCrawler launched on April 21, 1994, with more than 4,000 different websites in its database and on November 14, 1994, WebCrawler served its 1 millionth search query{{Cite web|url=http://www.thinkpink.com/bp/webcrawler/history.html|title=WebCrawler's History|website=www.thinkpink.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051128091213/http://www.thinkpink.com/bp/WebCrawler/History.html|archive-date=2005-11-28|access-date=2019-01-09}} for "nuclear weapons design and research".{{Cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2012/03/16/90s-tech-icons-where-are-they-now/|title='90s Tech Icons: Where Are They Now?|last=Lammle|first=Rob|date=2012-03-16|website=Mashable|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317115357/https://mashable.com/2012/03/16/90s-tech-icons-where-are-they-now/|archive-date=2012-03-17|access-date=2019-02-18}}
On December 1, 1994, WebCrawler acquired two sponsors, DealerNet and Starwave, which provided money to keep WebCrawler operating. Starting on October 3, 1995, WebCrawler was fully supported by advertising, but separated the adverts from search results.
On June 1, 1995, America Online (AOL) acquired WebCrawler. After being acquired by AOL, the website introduced its mascot "Spidey" on September 1, 1995.
Starting in April 1996, WebCrawler also included the human-edited internet guide GNN Select, which was also under AOL ownership.{{Cite web|url=https://searchenginearchive.com/single.php?id=88|title=Se-En|website=searchenginearchive.com|access-date=2019-01-25}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.webcrawler.com/select/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961024000414/http://www.webcrawler.com/select/|url-status=dead|archive-date=1996-10-24|title=WebCrawler Select: Review Categories|date=1996-10-24|website=WebCrawler|access-date=2019-02-03}}
On April 1, 1997, Excite acquired WebCrawler from AOL for $12.3 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/excite-buys-webcrawler-from-aol/|title=Excite buys WebCrawler from AOL|last=Keogh|first=Garret|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2019-01-15}}
WebCrawler received a redesign on June 16, 1997, adding WebCrawler Shortcuts, which suggested alternative links to material related to a search topic.{{Cite web|url=https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2047963/the-search-engine-update-june-1997-number|title=The Search Engine Update, June 17, 1997, Number 7|last=Sullivan|first=Danny|date=1997-06-16|website=Search Engine Watch|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414221045/https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2047963/the-search-engine-update-june-1997-number|archive-date=2016-04-14|access-date=2019-02-02}}
WebCrawler was maintained by Excite as a separate search engine with its own database until 2001, when it started using Excite's own database, effectively putting an end to WebCrawler as an independent search engine.{{Cite web|url=http://www.infotoday.com/online/may02/OnTheNet.htm|title=On the Net: Dead Search Engines|last=R. Notess|first=Greg|date=2002|website=InfoToday|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020525122755/http://www.infotoday.com/online/may02/OnTheNet.htm|archive-date=2002-05-25|access-date=2019-01-16}} Later that year, Excite (then called Excite@Home) went bankrupt and WebCrawler was bought by InfoSpace in 2001.
File:WebCrawler Screenshot 6-7-2010.png
Pinkerton, WebCrawler's creator, led the Amazon A9.com search division as of 2012.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/18/search_engines_we_have_known/?page=3|title=Search engines we have known ... before Google crushed them|author=Brid-Aine Parnell|date=December 18, 2012|work=The Register|access-date=November 17, 2016}}{{Cite web |title= Leading Leaders |work= A9 Management web page |url= https://www.a9.com/about-us/management/ |archive-date= November 14, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161114072240/https://www.a9.com/about-us/management/ |access-date= November 15, 2016 }}
In July 2016, InfoSpace was sold by parent company Blucora to OpenMail for $45 million, putting WebCrawler under the ownership of OpenMail.{{cite news | url=http://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/blucora-to-sell-infospace-business-for-45-million/ |title=Blucora to sell InfoSpace business for $45 million | work=Seattle Times | date=July 5, 2016}} OpenMail was later renamed System1.{{Cite web| title = System1 raises $270 million for 'consumer intent' advertising| work = L.A. Biz| access-date = 2017-12-01| url = https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2017/09/20/system1-raises-270-million-for-consumer-intent.html}}
In 2018, WebCrawler was redesigned from scratch and its logo was changed.{{Cite web|url=http://www.webcrawler.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180531135409/http://www.webcrawler.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-05-31|title=WebCrawler Search|date=2018-05-31|website=WebCrawler|access-date=2019-02-02}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.webcrawler.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130131104/http://www.webcrawler.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-11-30|title=WebCrawler Search|date=2018-11-30|website=WebCrawler|access-date=2019-02-02}}
Traffic
WebCrawler was highly successful early on.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-was-the-first-search-engine.htm|title=What was the First Search Engine?|last=McGuigan|first=Brendan|date=2007|website=WiseGeek|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070427154159/http://www.wisegeek.com/what-was-the-first-search-engine.htm|archive-date=2007-04-27|access-date=2019-02-18}} At one point, it was unusable during peak times due to server overload.{{Cite web|url=http://www.searchenginehistory.com/|title=Search Engine History.com|website=www.searchenginehistory.com|access-date=2019-01-25}} It was the second most visited website on the internet in February 1996, but it quickly dropped below rival search engines and directories such as Yahoo!, Infoseek, Lycos, and Excite in 1997.{{Cite web|url=https://tech.co/news/top-20-popular-websites-1996-present-infographic-2014-12|title=Infographic: Top 20 Most Popular Websites (1996-2013)|date=2014-12-26|website=TechCo|language=en|access-date=2019-01-15}}
See also
{{Portal|Internet
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.webcrawler.com/}}
{{Web search engines}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webcrawler}}
Category:Internet search engines