From ReclaimTheNet.org…
Search engine optimization toolkit provider Ahrefs is working on its own search engine and has invested $60 million for the project, according to a report by TechCrunch.
The search engine, called Yep, claims that it will give 90% of its ad revenue to publishers and creators.
“Let’s say that the biggest search engine in the world makes $100B a year. Now, imagine if they gave $90B to content creators and publishers,” the company said. “Wikipedia would probably earn a few billion dollars a year from its content. They’d be able to stop asking for donations and start paying the people who polish their articles a decent salary.”
Ahrefs’ CEO Dmytro Gerasymenko further reiterated the 90/10 split with creators and publishers, saying: “Creators who make search results possible deserve to receive payments for their work. We saw how YouTube’s profit-sharing model made the whole video-making industry thrive. Splitting advertising profits 90/10 with content authors, we want to give a push towards treating talent fairly in the search industry.”