Ask Jeeves answers ... with profits!

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Ask Jeeves, the little California search engine that could, has finally posted a profit, the BBC reported Thursday.

Long in the shadow of the dominant Google search engine, Ask Jeeves has nevertheless retained a loyal following, based partly on its engaging use of a fictitious butler, "Jeeves," made famous by humorist P.G. Wodehouse.

Despite only a 6 percent global market share, Ask Jeeves posted a worldwide operating profit of $22 million last year, contrasted to a loss of 2002 of $5.4 million.

Ask Jeeves' total revenue for the year came in at $107.3 million, a $42 million increase on 2002's $65 million figure, with money coming from placements and sponsorships.

Ask Jeeves says it is confident of further increasing its revenue and market share.

"A lot of our competitors just try to mimic Google, but we like to do it differently," said Adrian Cox, head of the company's U.K. branch.

Ask Jeeves expects its revenue to grow to $142 million in 2004.