Winning Online

I go to google.com twenty times a day, easily.  I’m not just a google-guy though, I also go to Yahoo.com about a dozen times a day as well.  I really don’t have an allegiance to either search engine, I use each for different reasons. When I want to do a keyword search, there is no doubt I am headed to Google. When I want search and a little more, maybe grab some news headlines, or a quick look at how poorly my portfolio is performing, I’ll visit YAHOO!.  I’ve never been terribly impressed with the look and feel of the search results pages for either engine, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever found a search results page aesthetically pleasing.

As search becomes smarter and more intuitive, literally by the day, one would wonder when it will become more visually appealing as well. All that text… hmmm, just doesn’t do it for me.  I see Google’s tremendous success in the search market and can’t help but to wonder if they have something up there sleeve. Afterall, if I can jump on Google Maps, type in my address and peak into my own window from a satellite far far away, why can’t we come up with something a little more creative than text on top of text on top of more text?

Some would argue that the simplicity of search is what makes the major players so successful. Personally, I don’t see it that way. Based on the numbers of searches and searchers, there is no denying the tremendous opportunity that exists here to create a more visually appealing and user-friendly search experience. And there is no doubt that this “new” experience could certainly create exciting ways for advertisers to get their message out.

Some have already started to do this.  SpaceTime and SearchMe are applications designed to enhance the search process by using visual imagery in combination with text. Rather than seeing line after line and page after page of text following a keyword search, these applications show actual web page screenshots from the sites that fit your search criteria. SpaceTime displays search results as three dimensional images while Searchme spreads image results out in a fan-like pattern across the computer screen. With these applications, web users have the option to select a website based on visual cues and keyword relevancy, rather than just sifting thru page after page of confusing text, searching for something that might, or might not be what they are looking for.

Both of these applications are being further developed as we speak.  Overall, visual search is a new topic and there is much more territory yet to be explored. A couple of other players include KartOO, Quintura and Pixsy.