Summary
Google's dominance of the search engine field is driving its competitors to add new product features to attempt to stay competitive. Companies such as Yahoo, MSN Search and Ask Jeeves are adding features such as search controls to their services, and are upgrading the code engines that run their services.
Original source:
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/ebiz/41554.html
Details
In April 2003, Ask Jeeves added "Smart Search" to its engine, which tops search results for definitive queries like "Who is George Washington?"
Download your copy of WebSideStory's latest e-book and learn how simple it is to improve online sales, optimize product placement and increase customer retention.
Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) has so firmly staked out its place as the Internet search- engine leader that it has even earned a place as a verb in the English lexicon.
Paradoxically, because of its popularity, there may be no better time to try something different.
Google's success has forced competitors like Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO), MSN Search and Ask Jeeves (Nasdaq: ASKJ) to hustle with releasing new product features, search controls and improved behind-the-scenes programming.
The top result for "weather in New York," for instance, leads to Yahoo's New York City weather page, with current conditions and a five-day outlook.
America Online Search now provides information from partners' content and its own; these "snapshots" in fields like entertainment, sports and shopping link to information from publications within the Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) media universe, including Entertainment Weekly and Sports Illustrated.
Likewise, MSN Search returns links to information from its own specialized databases, like MSN Music, msnbc.com and Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Encarta encyclopedia.
"Having the trusted data, what we know is a right answer, and not asking them to trawl around that's a huge advantage for the user," said Ramez Naam,
MSN Search's group program manager.
Ask Jeeves will introduce technology this spring that will further the question-and-answer abilities of its engine.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams created TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.