AlltheWeb Says It Has More Data Than Google

Hoping to attract more mass appeal for an online search engine with a cult following, AlltheWeb.com is expected to announce today that it indexes more Internet information than longtime pacesetter Google Inc.

AlltheWeb, owned by Norway’s Fast Search & Transfer, says its database spans 2.1 billion Web pages, just ahead of the 2.07 billion scanned by Google at the end of last week.

AlltheWeb has been quietly building on its previous foundation of 800 million pages in the last two months.

The rapid expansion represents the latest salvo aimed at Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, whose growing popularity since its inception in 1998 has inspired a mixture of awe, jealousy and one-upmanship among competitors.

The challenges haven’t toppled Google so far. Closely held Google operates one of the Web’s most trafficked destinations and provides search results for other prominent sites, such as Yahoo and AOL.

AlltheWeb’s effectiveness has made it a hit among scientists, librarians and other researchers looking for more-obscure data.