The Google alternative for the iPhone. More here
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Feature Update - Add a new Search Engine to Sputtr
After 12 months of existence and many, many (way too many!) feedback emails coming from you guys and girls, Sputtr has decided to make a significant, and much asked for improvement to Sputtr.com. They are enabling all users (yes you!) to add completely new search engines to the Sputtr homepage, which will then be publicly available for everyone else.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Google's new BlackBerry application
Current users of Google's Mobile App for BlackBerry will receive an unexpected benefit when upgrading to the latest update to the mobile app: a cleaner home screen.
Google's new BlackBerry app scores more points than it loses | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone - CNET
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Google Free Directory Assistance for Canada
Don't know where to find the closest pizza parlour? No access to a computer or a phone book?
Just call Google. Let them figure it out.
Today Google Inc. launched a Canadian version of its voice-recognition local search phone service GOOG-411. Canada becomes the first country outside the U.S. to gain access to the service.
globeandmail.com: Goog-411 finds way to Canada
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Alt Search Engines
By J. Reed
Now I know why Charles took his vacation over the Labor Day weekend! Today is September 1st, and time for The Top 100 Alternative Search Engines List to be updated. I do not envy anyone this herculean task.
Alt Search Engines
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Regulators Approve Netherlands Directory Consolidation
The Dutch competition authorities today approved the planned merger between the Netherlands operations of Truvo (Gouden Gids) and European Directories (DeTelefoongids). This approval clears the way for the merger to move ahead.
According to an announcement from Howrey LLP, the firm that represented Truvo in the deal, said the regulators were initially wary of the deal, based on the view that allowing two direct competitors to merge reduced competition, which was bad for consumers and advertisers.
Kelsey Group Blogs » Regulators Approve Netherlands Directory ConsolidationBlogged with the Flock Browser
Truvo Mobile - useful local search tool for your mobile
Truvo, the Belgian Yellow Pages publisher (formerly Promedia), has recently launched their search application for mobile devices. Once your mobile device has an internet connection and supports Java, it should be able to use the application.
The application of course contains yellow and white pages search, as well as wikipedia search, news and weather forecast, ringtones, wallpapers and a truvo mobile search engine (searching all available sources). I have been testing the application for a while on my 'Nokia 6500 classic' and I enjoyed most of all the yellow pages and wiki search. Convenience is relatively high and once you're used to the application, you can search almost as fast as a directory assistance operator.
Saving the result to your contacts is very useful, as well as the possibility to find the business on the map by simply clicking the address or to call the business by clicking the phone number.
Main issue for these applications is that on a short term the number of handsets supporting Java is still limited, but the Truvo Mobile application clearly shows which direction to go.
Click here for more information or a free download.
Rudi
White Pages 2.0?
Most of the white pages publishers seem to be asking themselves whether there still is a future for their product. Printed white pages definitely are in decline, not only because of the growing number of people with internet access, but also because of the fact that online white pages can (or should) offer more features. But even online white pages are not sure whether they will be able to survive on a long term. Their biggest issue is the fact that more and more people are keeping their (mostly mobile) phone number ex-directory, which is making the white pages less reliable and relevant.
You'll agree with me that if white pages publishers continue to focus on building a database of phone numbers, then they'll slowly disappear from the market. But you'll also notice together with me that if on one hand people are reluctant to publish their mobile number, on the other hand they are very open in sharing personal (contact) information through blogs and other social networking channels. If white pages publishers want to remain the number one choice for 'people finder' purposes, then partnerships with social networks are definitely the right direction. That's where they can find the content they need in order to close the gap and remain reliable and relevant. Could be a win-win for both the white pages publisher and the social network provider, as the last one will definitely appreciate the increase in visitors and pageviews generated by white pages searches.
Remaining question : will the effort for the white pages publisher remain reasonable/worthed or will he prefer to adopt a dying business approach and milk the cow? The future will show, I guess.
Rudi
PagesJaunes Groupe launches video and image advertising for small and medium enterprises
PagesJaunes SA and PagesJaunes Petites Annonces, subsidiaries of the PagesJaunes Groupe - the French market leader for Internet Local Search - have decided to offer as from today April 16 some new online advertising formats for small and medium enterprises on their respective media pagesjaunes.fr et annoncesjaunes.fr :
Video advertising to increase the visibility of the professionnals on pagesjaunes.fr, sixth most visited website in France, and on the internet ; a PagesJaunes team records the video on site and publishes it on Pages Jaunes but also makes it accessible through a specific landing page URL that will be available in organic search results. Have a look at this one.
Image advertising for real estate agencies and car dealers who are customers at PagesJaunes Petites Annonces in order to optimise their offers on pagesjaunes.fr and annoncesjaunes.fr.
This is certainly a nice additional advertising option added by Pages Jaunes Groupe. Pages Jaunes Groupe is a nice example of crossmedia local search provider, present in print, on the internet and through directory assistance.
Rudi
Yahoo Holders Seek Higher Microsoft Bid With AOL
Read on : Bloomberg.com
By Ari Levi , April 10 '08
Yahoo! Inc., resisting a $44.6 billion takeover by Microsoft Corp., may wring a higher offer out of the software maker after finding an alternate suitor in Time Warner Inc.'s AOL unit.
A new partner may help Chief Executive Officer Jerry Yang turn around investor confidence in Yahoo. Less than a week ago, his options appeared limited after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer threatened to cut his bid if the board refused to give in. With AOL in the fray, a better price is possible, and the New York Times said today that News Corp. may join Microsoft's offer.
"Microsoft, if it wants to stay in the game, is going to have to increase its bid,'' Larry Haverty, associate portfolio manager at Gamco Investors Inc., said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. "Yahoo is a strategic necessity for Microsoft.''
Haverty said $35 a share is a fair value for Yahoo. His firm managed about $31 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, including shares of Microsoft and Yahoo. His estimate is 20 percent more than the implied value of the half-cash, half-stock deal.
If Microsoft teams up with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the transaction would unite Microsoft's MSN, Yahoo and News Corp.'s MySpace, the Times said. Microsoft's original bid is $31 a share.
Yahoo, owner of the most-visited U.S. Web site, rose 82 cents, or 3 percent, to $28.59 at 4 p.m. New York time in trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Microsoft rose 22 cents to $29.11, valuing its offer at about $29.34 a share.
`Rumble in the Jungle'
"There will be more rumble in the jungle,'' said Juergen Lukasser, who helps manage the equivalent of about $20 billion as head of equities at Constantia Privatbank AG in Vienna. Constantia holds Microsoft shares and no Yahoo stock. ``Microsoft will have to raise its bid.''
Diana Wong, a spokeswoman for Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo, didn't return a call for comment. Time Warner spokesman Ed Adler declined to comment. Microsoft representative Frank Shaw didn't return a call seeking comment, and Teri Everett, a spokeswoman for New York-based News Corp., said the company doesn't comment on "speculation.''
In a deal with AOL, Yahoo would gain control of the Internet company, receive an investment from Time Warner, and give up a 20 percent stake in the combined entity, said a person with knowledge of the talks. The investment also would let Yahoo buy back billions of dollars in stock, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the talks aren't public.
`Two Men Drowning'
"The AOL-Yahoo thing reminds me of two men drowning, both grabbing on to each other,'' said Mike Holland, who oversees more than $4 billion at Holland & Co. in New York, including Microsoft shares. "It usually doesn't end in a pretty way or a smart way or an effective way.''
Separately, Capital World Investors, a unit of Los Angeles mutual-fund manager Capital Research & Management Co., almost doubled its stake in Yahoo to 10.1 percent. Capital World owned 135.5 million shares of the Internet company as of March 31, according to regulatory filings. The unit had previously held 69.6 million shares.
Yesterday, Yahoo said it would display some Web search advertising links sold by Google Inc. The talks with AOL and Google, owner of the most-used Internet search engine, indicate that Yang, 39, is making progress two months after telling investors that the company is seeking alternatives to Microsoft's bid. Microsoft's offer was 62 percent higher than Yahoo's closing price the previous day.
"They're delay tactics,'' Laura Martin, an analyst at New York-based Soleil Securities Corp., said of Yahoo's actions. She rates Yahoo shares "hold'' and doesn't own any. "They're just going to irritate Microsoft and accelerate a proxy fight.''
Time Warner
Time Warner, the world's largest media company, rose 18 cents to $14.61 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Shares of the New York-based company have declined 12 percent this year.
Ballmer is pursuing Yahoo to challenge Google's dominance of the $41 billion market for online advertisements. Ballmer, 52, said in an April 5 letter that Yahoo has three weeks to accept a deal or become the target of the company's first hostile takeover. Yahoo responded to Microsoft's threat of a proxy fight by insisting on a higher price.
"We continue to believe a Microsoft-Yahoo deal is the most likely outcome and continue to believe that it will happen at a higher price than the initial $31 bid,'' Citigroup Inc. analysts Mark Mahaney and Brent Thill wrote in a report today.
No Deal?
A combination with AOL would bring together the second and fourth most-used Internet search engines in the U.S. Google is the most popular, attracting 59.2 percent of queries in February, according to Reston, Virginia-based researcher ComScore Inc. Yahoo had 21.6 percent, followed by Microsoft with 9.6 percent and AOL with 4.9 percent.
Analysts including Cowen & Co.'s Jim Friedland and UBS AG's Michael Morris say a Yahoo-AOL combination is less likely than a successful Microsoft bid. Yahoo is publicly highlighting all of its options, including deals with AOL and Google, to leverage a modestly higher bid out of Microsoft, Merrill Lynch & Co. analyst Justin Post wrote in a note today.
"It's hard to see a compelling valuation proposition from AOL relative to the cash that Microsoft is offering,'' said Morris, who added that a stock buyback isn't a value creator.
Yahoo said it's starting a two-week trial in the U.S. to run Google's ads alongside no more than 3 percent of search queries. The company is looking for a way to resuscitate revenue growth after losing Internet search users to its rival.
Panama
Last year, Yahoo introduced an ad platform, called Panama, designed to make search ads more relevant and more likely to be clicked. In a presentation to investors last month, Yahoo said it had reduced the gap in revenue per search between its own engine and Google's in the U.S. by 30 percent in the first nine months of 2007. At the end of last year, a difference of 60 percent to 70 percent still existed, the company said.
While a partnership with Google may cut Yahoo's costs, a deal would face stiff regulatory scrutiny. Senator Herb Kohl, a Wisconsin Democrat, said yesterday that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, would examine any formal agreement to "ensure that it does not harm competition.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Ari Levy in San Francisco at alevy5@bloomberg.net
Internet WP and YP versus Search Engines
Not all directory publishers in Europe seem to adopt the same approach on how to compete with internet search engines like Google and Yahoo. Why is this? And what would then be the right approach?
About half of the directory publishers has adopted a constructive and open approach and has included internet search engines into their internet WP or YP. Some good examples are De Telefoongids in the Netherlands or Directories in Switzerland. But still about half of the directory publishers seems to try to hide Internet Search from their website users, hoping that they will keep search traffic on their websites and as a consequence preserve their revenues from advertising sales. But is it a correct conclusion that internet search is pure substitution to directory search or is it rather a service responding to (partially) different needs and as such complementary.
People searching in WP or YP are most likely looking for contact info, the functionality of the search engine is helping them to search in a very (geo-)targeted and efficient way. Internet search engines are performing a much broader search and can give back interesting background or product info and thus respond to a different need.
Both directory and internet search have become very well known by the public in the meantime, so you can conclude that the user will select which one he uses based on the kind of information he needs. From a user point of view, the ideal search portal would respond to all of his search needs and help him find people contact info, business contact info, product info as well as user generated web 2.0 content. Both directory and internet search providers could decide to move to such 'ideal search portal', but it requires a strong focus on the user and this has never been the top priority of directory publishers. The first initiatives in this direction seem to confirm this : next to iGoogle, allowing to integrate directory and wiki search widgets, have also a look at Voilà by France Telecom.
Rudi
Picture Yourself in Local Search Results
Read on : Business Week
By Josh Walker (CEO CityVoter, Cambridge, Mass.), April 07, 2008
Consumers are increasingly searching for information about local small businesses online, so it makes sense for you to think about your search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. At the same time, small businesses must compete with large national brands in highly competitive local business categories for optimum position in search results. Getting creative and understanding how to use technologies to your advantage is essential to tapping into the local search opportunity.
Among the latest SEO techniques that small businesses can benefit from is what's called "universal" or "blended" search, in which search engines give weight to blended content—text plus images or video. Not only do search engines favor blended results, but research has shown that searchers' eyes are drawn to blended results. That means if your business is generating blended search results, you do not have to be the first result on the search page to gain a searcher's attention. The thumbnail photo of your image or video in your search result will draw the searcher past all the text-only results to your position on the search page.
As with many SEO tactics, the benefits of blended search are likely to diminish over time as video and imagery proliferate online. To capitalize on this opportunity now, look closely at how you can integrate video and images on your company Web site with aggregator sites like YouTube or in directory listings where your company appears (search engines scour these sites for results). Be sure to tag images and videos with file names and captions that include your keywords. If you are not able to take on this task yourself, look for service providers that are focused on helping small businesses take advantage of these tactics.
Google-Expedia Deal Seems Very Unlikely
Read on : Seeking Alpha
By Chad Brand, April 03, 2008
Shares of online travel site Expedia (EXPE) have rallied about 15% this week on rumors of a buyout offer forthcoming, perhaps from Google (GOOG). I don't own EXPE, but if I did, a buyout offer from Google is not something I would place a very high probability on.
Thus far, of the many acquisitions Google has made, the vast majority have focused on their core business of advertising, not e-commerce. Sure, Google could buy a site like Expedia and create a very impressive (and likely popular) travel portal from which it could generate both ad revenue and transaction fees. For those investors who want Google to expand the number of ways the search giant makes money, generating fees from e-commerce transactions, as well as advertising such offers, would go a long way in diversifying the company's profit center.
That said, Google has not shown enough interest in doing so for us to think this is going to be part of their growth plan in the short term. While I think buying a site like Expedia would be a good move for Google, I don't think an offer is forthcoming, and therefore EXPE shareholders should consider their investment options with such rumors at the forefront of traders' minds at the moment.
Rumor : Google to buy Plaxo?
Rumors say that Google is intending to acquire Plaxo for about 200 mio $. Plaxo, founded in 2001, initially offered a tool to manage contacts and addresses and recently extended his offering to a social network with Pulse.
There are of course potential synergies between both companies' functionality, but another reason of the acquisition would be that Google wishes to keep Joseph Smarr, chief platform architect at Plaxo, out of the hands of Facebook's.
Microsoft puts pressure on Yahoo!
Microsoft has today increased pressure on Yahoo! by a 'sign the deal in 3 weeks or we cut the bid' threat. This seems to be a brilliant step from Microsoft as the Yahoo! shareholders will now insist even more on their Board to start negotiations.
With this, Microsoft seems to succeed with its plans to try to counter Google. Yahoo! from its side could (or should) use Microsoft's strong presence in Europe to finally take part of the market back on Google. A Microsoft-Yahoo! deal could have an important impact on the European local search market.
Garmin Nuviphone - pocket local search?
The new Garmin Nuviphone, combining a mobile phone with a GPS, definitely will offer a lot of local search functionality through Google Local Search as well as local directory widgets. As the search functionality is certainly getting more usable as on a classic mobile device, more and more users will use their device for an online search instead of calling directory assistance (the convenience gap between a search on the mobile handset and a DA call is getting smaller every day). DA providers will have to think about the added value they could bring in the future and eventual synergies with these new devices.
Search engine tip : Sputtr
If you do not know which search engine to use and you're tired of switching from one web page to another one, have a look at Sputtr. It offers you the possibility to personalise a handsome dashboard in which you can add all possible search engines.
Give it a try and you will soon understand why AltSearchEngines has designed them as Search Engine of the Month for April 2008.
What I am missing in this one stop search application is local directories, they definitely should get out of their corner and proove that they can differentiate from internet search engines.
The State of Search in Europe
Read on : Search Engine Watch
By Phil Robinson, Search Engine Watch, Jul 6, 2005
What is the state of search in Europe and how do the major players see search developing over the coming years?
A special report from the Search Engine Strategies 2005 Conference, June 1-2, London.
At the "European Search Landscape" panel, Google, MSN and Yahoo each presented their vision of how search will develop. Alongside the big three was Nielson/NetRatings and Hitwise who provided raw facts and figures on the current state of the search marketplace.
Google's Ian Carrington said that the company's vision is "simply" to make information more organized and most importantly universally accessible to everyone, whether via the web, mobile phones or any device from "anywhere."
David Graham of MSN UK followed a similar theme and noted their strategy was to expand via multiple access points such as through other Microsoft software including MSN Messenger, Outlook and Office.
Graham also mentioned the upcoming launch of MSN's Search Toolbar to complete with Yahoo and Google's offerings. According to Yahoo's Salim Mitha, about 8% of all searches are launched via toolbars, and he said that Google and Yahoo get 95% of those searches through their respective toolbars. As a result of the aggressive toolbar distribution strategies by Google, Yahoo and MSN the share of toolbar-initiated searches looks set to increase strongly over coming years.
By its own reckoning, MSN is the #2 search player in Europe, with a 21% market share. This is dwarfed by Google's 61% share— but when MSN's search toolbar integrates with MS Office, how many people will stop bothering with web browsers and use other engines? And how much of Google's share of the search market will begin to get eaten up?
According to Graham, MSN company has invested 100 million dollars on search during the previous 20 months. With Microsoft's track record with software and games consoles it could easily be argued that there will be a new number one within years.
Google's Carrington noted the increasing trend of integration of online and offline marketing campaigns. He also said that user behavior is changing, citing the mobile text language "I want 2 C U" as something that search vendors need to consider.
A Changing Landscape
Tim Roe from NetRatings presented some useful stats on country shares of the search market. Germany (29%) and UK (23%) are the largest search markets, followed by France (18%) and Italy (16%). Europe is dominated by Google and MSN, at first and second place respectively, but the market is still big enough for local players like Voila (2nd in France) and Virgilio (3rd in Italy).
The coming year may see smaller players that focus on local country needs getting stronger. For example, Ask Jeeves in the UK who is currently running a million pound TV advertising campaign. Simon Chamberlain from Hitwise emphasized the huge opportunities for innovative new entrants and strong brands.
All panelists agreed search is buoyant and growing further. As expected broadband penetration in Europe is continuing to fuel growth and people are spending more time online. Each of the big three also acknowledged strong prospects in mobile search.
Phil Robinson is the Founder and Director of ClickThrough Marketing, a UK based search engine marketing company.
Mio brings connected local search to new PNDs in Europe
Read on : GPS Business News
Mio Moov 330 Yesterday, at the CEBIT trade show in Germany, Mio unveiled its new European range Mio Moov with three products Moov 370, Moov 330, Moov 200 (Moov 330 and Moov 200 are available with one country map or full European maps). Both the Moov 370 (€279.99) and the Moov 330 (€229.99 for Europe or €179.99 for one region) offer Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free phone calls and the option to perform a local search via the mobile phone (with a data plan). Mio has set up partnerships with local mobile search providers in key European countries to enable this “MioMore” service. Users of the Moov 200 ((€179.99 for Europe or €149.99 for one region) will have the possibility to search online from their desktop and transfer the POIs via USB to their device.
The Moov products also feature a new software, legacy of the Navman acquisition last year. Previously known as SmartST, this navigation software now integrates 1,000 3D city landmarks from Tele Atlas. These new PNDs will be available across Europe in April.
The Moov products also feature a new software, legacy of the Navman acquisition last year. Previously known as SmartST, this navigation software now integrates 1,000 3D city landmarks from Tele Atlas. These new PNDs will be available across Europe in April.
Mio Moov 200
Exit Nav N Go
As a result of using the “Navman” software, the company will be doing significant savings, the Nav N Go software license costing the company an estimated $5 to $8 per unit. Obviously this is not good news for Nav N Go. Mio is its biggest customer, accounting for around 15% of its revenue as Nav N Go CEO, Leon van De Pas, told GPS Business News in January.
However the Nav N Go software is still used by Mio today for its upper end product range that features navigation with 3D buildings in addition to 3D landmarks. Mio declined to comment on its software plans for this product range moving forward, but one might expect the Mio software team based in New Zealand to be working on a full 3D software that could replace the Nav N Go solution.
As a result of using the “Navman” software, the company will be doing significant savings, the Nav N Go software license costing the company an estimated $5 to $8 per unit. Obviously this is not good news for Nav N Go. Mio is its biggest customer, accounting for around 15% of its revenue as Nav N Go CEO, Leon van De Pas, told GPS Business News in January.
However the Nav N Go software is still used by Mio today for its upper end product range that features navigation with 3D buildings in addition to 3D landmarks. Mio declined to comment on its software plans for this product range moving forward, but one might expect the Mio software team based in New Zealand to be working on a full 3D software that could replace the Nav N Go solution.
North American market
However the new products announced at CEBIT are not planned to be launched in North America. Other products will be available in the United States: Moov 200, 210, 300 and 310 with 3.5 to 4.3 inches screen sizes and prices from $179,95 to $249.95. Mio expects them to be available on the shelves in six weeks from now.
But none of these products feature Bluetooth and the connected local search option. Kiyoshi Hamai, director of sales and product management at Mio in the United States said to GPS Business News today: “what we have seen so far from our U.S. customers is that they have more basic needs than in Europe. The need for more advanced features will come overtime, but today the bulk of our sales is really in the entry level. The U.S. market is still two to three years behind Europe in terms of market maturity.”
However the new products announced at CEBIT are not planned to be launched in North America. Other products will be available in the United States: Moov 200, 210, 300 and 310 with 3.5 to 4.3 inches screen sizes and prices from $179,95 to $249.95. Mio expects them to be available on the shelves in six weeks from now.
But none of these products feature Bluetooth and the connected local search option. Kiyoshi Hamai, director of sales and product management at Mio in the United States said to GPS Business News today: “what we have seen so far from our U.S. customers is that they have more basic needs than in Europe. The need for more advanced features will come overtime, but today the bulk of our sales is really in the entry level. The U.S. market is still two to three years behind Europe in terms of market maturity.”
1-800-Free-411
Is the European market ready for free Directory Assistance? And is the business case positive for the DA provider? Maybe a hybrid solution where advertising business models can help the DA provider to keep his price reasonable have more chances to survive on long term.
Discrete DA listings to solve issue on missing mobile numbers?
Belgacom's 1307 DA services were working on a similar solution since a couple of months, but the French market leader in Directory Assistance 'Le Numéro' is the first one to launch a specific solution in order to cope with the issue of the decreasing number of residential listings (as owners of mobile numbers seem to be keep their number secret).
The solution is genial by its simplicity. You call DA to find a friend of yours, the DA service won't give you his phone number but allow you to leave a voice message. Your friend gets the voice message in his voice mail and can then decide to call you back or not.
As this solution is based on an opt-in from the mobile owners, only question with this solution remains how many people will make the effort to register.
Have a look on the 118218 Discreto website.
Where's Search Heading? Ask Yahoo's Chief Scientist
Read on Search Engine Watch
By Kevin Newcomb, Search Engine Watch, Mar 20, 2008
While Google has dominated the search space for the past few years, Yahoo has held its own as a respectable number two. But it's not content to remain there, and is in the midst of rolling out a whole new approach to search. While many of the details have not yet been discussed publicly, we do know that Yahoo is taking a task-based approach to its search strategy, improving results to focus on the user's task stage, according to Andrew Tomkins, chief scientist for search at Yahoo.
A search engine can make changes in two basic ways to today's search experience. It can take a top-down approach, starting with the user, and make changes to the way it understands and processes queries. Or it can take a bottom-up approach, improving the way the search engine extracts information and understands the content it has indexed.
At Yahoo, as at other search engines, researchers are approaching search from both directions. The common theme behind everything they're doing is to make it easier for users to accomplish their tasks and get things done, according to Tomkins.
Tomkins spent the last few years at Yahoo Research, working on projects that will guide the future of Yahoo Search. A few months ago, he was named chief scientist for web search. In his new role, he is putting some of those research projects into action.
Tomkins will deliver the morning keynote presentation today at Search Engine Strategies New York. He will share some ideas about search's future and how Yahoo has begun moving toward a new way of interacting with users.
"I like to think of search as the place people start for a lot of things they want to do. Sometimes, they get their answer and they're done. Other times, it's part of a process that may take months to complete, like buying a house or researching high-def televisions," Tomkins said. "The next generation of search will be about understanding the task a user has in mind and changing the way search operates to get those things done."
For example, users searching on general terms about HDTV might be shown broad research material. As they move closer to a purchase, they'd be shown more specific results, like reviews and price comparisons, he said.
"What's it really take to get the job done? We want to make task fulfillment seamless, both on and off the Web," Tomkins said.
Yahoo's refined approach to search
Yahoo began giving glimpses into where its search is headed last year when it added the Search Assist layer of query refinements in October. When a user begins typing a query, some suggestions are presented that finish or expand a query, or offer related concepts.
"The new style of search is much more of a conversation," Tomkins said. "It focuses on increasing a user's productivity, helping them complete complex tasks to get to their goal."
The engine has also been offering Shortcuts for some time, as Google has done with its OneBox results, Ask with its Smart Answers, and Microsoft with its Instant Answers.
In October, Yahoo made its general search results a blended search experience, with more photos, videos, and Shortcuts. It also expanded the number of common tasks it's created Shortcuts for, adding more results pulled from Yahoo properties like Flickr, Upcoming, and Yahoo Answers, as well as from third-party sites like YouTube.
For example, a search on a current movie title returns links to the trailer, reviews, show times, and ticket information. Yahoo decides which results to add these Shortcuts to by examining its query logs and identifying where users ended up for the most common queries.
Examining the logs and programming those results gives Yahoo a deeper understanding of what the user is trying to accomplish, Tomkins said.
Putting Users in Control
Rather than adding more behind-the-scenes attempts to discern a user's intent, Yahoo is instead focusing on exposing "levers" that will help users to refine their own search experience, Tomkins said.
"The user is the end arbiter," he said. "Instead of trying to control the experience, we'd rather give them different ways to indicate or confirm their intent. It's more like driving a car than getting on a train; they have the ability to control their destination."
Yahoo sees search as one of many tools that users come to the site for, alongside news, mail, and research on "life stuff," like real estate, food, and autos, Tomkins said.
With a large audience of engaged visitors, Yahoo is in the perfect position to understand the tasks people want to accomplish and how to create a search experience to match up with that, he said.
New Signals of Relevance
For the past 10 years, most search engines have relied heavily on analyzing anchor text, links, and content to determine relevance, he said.
Recently, research by the top search engines has looked at other signals, such as user clicks and engagement, that might indicate search result relevance.
"The search engine landscape is very much trying to take advantage of those signals," Tomkins said. "They're trying to squeeze what they can from what they see users engaging in."
A likely result of that kind of research might include new ways to rank content based on the search engine's understanding of a query and the task a user is engaged in, he said.
For search marketing practitioners, the best way to prepare for that kind of algorithm change would be to design a website along similar lines and build what would be most useful to users at various stages of their tasks, Tomkins said.
"The best strategy for ranking will be to find a sweet spot for user needs and customize pages to meet those needs – then rely on the engines to discern that value," Tomkins said. "We'll unlock the value of narrow, task-focused material."
118 218 La Pub !
TV commercial from DA provider 'Le Numéro' (The Number), market leader in France since 118 number range was introduced. They combined a golden number with a great tv campaign.
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