Yahoo has been an integral part of the Web for as long as most of us have been using it. But the Yahoo homepage that was once essential has recently become sidelined by Google and social networks such as Facebook. It was overdue for a makeover, and the Yahoo homepage redesign has now been unveiled.

I remember when I first ventured on to the Web that Yahoo was the place to be. Along with Microsoft properties such as Hotmail and Messenger, Yahoo was one of the must-visits every time I logged on to the Internet. Then Google came along and Yahoo found itself somewhat surplus to requirements, although it has endured since then.

However, it’s clear a new Yahoo was needed to fight back against the might of Google and the like. And that has now been delivered in the form of a Yahoo homepage redesign. The makeover has been in the planning stages since 2007 but has now finally gone live on an opt-in basis. Amazingly, it’s actually good.

The changes that have been made this time are dramatic. The Yahoo homepage has been turned into a veritable social network portal, with customization options that offer something for everyone. Gone are the links to just Yahoo properties, with third-party sites such as Facebook now being available from the Yahoo homepage at the click of a button.

Sixty of these ‘My Favorites’ have been added as default, but these can be edited and added to with little fuss to any sites of the individual user’s choosing. This is a vast difference to the Yahoo of old which seemed to have Yahoo itself at the center of all things. Now, the user is the focus of attention, with everything geared to cater to the person using the site as an online portal.

What’s more, Yahoo intends to open the platform up to other software developers to create their own applications, which is a tried and tested method used on existing social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Despite losing ground to alternate sites, the Yahoo homepage is still a massively trafficked site on the Web, providing millions of people with their jumping off point to other parts of the Internet. Thankfully, rather than taking that fact for granted, Yahoo now seems to realized this is a cherished and enviable position to be in and has tried to better cater to its users than it ever has before.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 at 1:57 am under Internet, Opinion, Social Media, Technology, Yahoo!.

Read more entries by Dave Parrack.
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