AltaVista Moves to Revamp Services

Search engine AltaVista will take a big step toward becoming AltaVista, the portal, on Wednesday. That’s when it will add localized content adapted from such sources as its sister company Zip2 and Yellow Pages directories. The site also will add a finance service that will include the Raging Bull stock message boards, news wires and stock portfolios. Palo Alto-based AltaVista, which has had one of the leading search technologies on the Web and has done very little to promote itself or seek revenue, is revamping itself as Andover, Mass.-based Internet conglomerate CMGI Inc. prepares to buy most of it from Compaq Computer for more than $2 billion.