Google Inc is now powering the web search of more top web sites than any of its rivals. The company inked a deal last week with InfoSpace Inc that will see its web search integrated into InfoSpace's family of web portals.

As part of the deal, InfoSpace is taking Google's sponsored listings service, which provides paid-for links alongside its objective algorithm-based search results. Using that service, advertisers outbid each other to appear prominently alongside search results and pay a fee, which is shared between Google and portal, when a surfer clicks on their ad.

InfoSpace simultaneously announced it will no longer carry banner ads or pop-up ads on WebCrawler, one of its five major web properties, indicating a deeper reliance on sponsored search results to bring in revenue. The company also carries paid listings from Google rival Overture Services Inc.

InfoSpace runs Excite.com, Dogpile.com, Metacrawler.com, and Webcrawler.com in addition to InfoSpace.com. According to July figures from comScore Networks Inc, InfoSpace properties are ranked 11th in terms of unique monthly visitors, and Excite properties are ranked 18th.

Of the top-ranked web properties in July, Google powers three of the top five (including AOL and Yahoo!). Fast Search & Transfer ASA and Inktomi Corp power the two remaining sites in the top five (Lycos and MSN respectively). The fifth is, of course, Google itself.

© ComputerWire