Google Inc. is putting its fee-based Answers service out of commission after launching it four years ago.

The service provided answers to submitted questions at rates ranging from two dollars to several hundred dollars.

Google competitor Yahoo! Inc. launched its free Answers service last year and has seen success with it.

"In about a year, Yahoo has taken the initial idea put together by Google, and enhanced it into its current social media driven community of niche experts. And with Google dumping its Google Answers offering, Yahoo could not be happier," says Loren Baker of SearchEngine Journal.

Google says an archive of questions and answers will remain free to users after the service is put to rest at the end of the year.