Yandex not expecting decline in share of search engine market in Russia following homepage update

MOSCOW. Sept 16 (Interfax) - Yandex is not expecting a decline in its share of the search engine market in Russia after transferring the homepage to ya.ru, the company's press service has told Interfax.

The ya.ru site appeared in 2000 as an alternative to the updated yandex.ru interface, though its appearance caused some controversy among users. News, launched the same year, was then added to the updated homepage. Yandex's minimalist version enjoyed its own audience, though the site was not very popular.

Over twenty years later, the company in June 2022 announced the decision to breathe new life into ya.ru, even before the official announcement on the asset swap between Yandex and VK . The company then explained that ya.ru would become "one of the entry points focusing on universal searches, specialized search verticals, and Alice [voice-controlled assistant]."

When the deal between the companies became known in August, by which VK assumed ownership of News and Zen, Yandex announced its decision to change the site's homepage for the first time ever after the transaction, rendering the homepage the very same alternative, ya.ru.

The former homepage, with News and Zen, has transferred to VK. Since September 12, users have been redirected to dzen.ru, a domain owned by VK, when entering yandex.ru. However, the yandex.ru domain remains the property of Yandex, and yandex.ru is available for viewing the company's page, legal documents, and most services.