San Francisco - Yahoo launched a redesigned home page Tuesday, allowing users to incorporate a wide range of outside sites and services into one of the most popular destinations on the internet.

The move by the popular web portal comes as it faces increased competition for user eyeballs from social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and as Google holds a steady 2-to-1 lead in search queries in the US. Yahoo is reported to be in advanced talks with Microsoft to merge their search businesses to better compete with Google on search.

The new look page is Yahoo's first home page redesign since 2006 and allows customizable pop-outs of any other bookmarked site on the web. One option includes a Facebook widget that allows members of that site to access their essential feeds without leaving the main Yahoo page.

Yahoo also plans a "PC-to-Mobile Sync" feature that will automatically update user changes to a mobile version of the Yahoo home page.

"People are living more of their lives online - in the US, the average person visits a staggering 85 sites a month. Whether for the PC or a mobile device, Yahoo is bringing greater simplicity and relevance to the way people experience the Web," said Ari Balogh, executive vice president of products and chief technology officer.

"Our new homepage is designed to help them stay on top of what is going on in their world, and in the rest of the world," he said.(dpa)