Inktomi said the product, called Directory Engine, categorizes Internet content by topic and will allow Internet directories to customize the appearance of search results.
Most Internet providers use teams of editors to classify content.
Inktomi said the new product also will reply to search queries with links to relevant retailers on the Web. Many Internet directories, such as Yahoo , attract users by organizing Web pages into a logical format. The directories then earn revenue by selling ads or referring users to online merchants. Inktomi's Directory Engine has categorized 1.3 million documents, compared to 1 billion documents that the company expects to be online by 2000. Inktomi wants to allow Internet directories to integrate keyword search results found using its Search Engine with the sites it has categorized with Directory Engine.