A New 2.0 Search Trend - Will it give Google a Run for it's Money?

Broad-Based Search Engine Web 2.0 Alternatives.

Will Google Search be challenged by this rapid 'Vertical' growth?

A search engine is basically just software hosted by a site that provides a list of 'documents' or 'pages' in response to a keyword query.

Businesses, researchers and consumers use the search engines for a variety of reasons. Search engines like Yahoo and Google are used for an all encompassing general search but more often surfers are looking for a search that is more specific to their unique needs.

Search Engines that cater to a specific 'niche' are not new. Websites that help people to find what they are looking for specifically, whether it is to look for shops, to find people, or resource businesses have been around for years. In the past few years however there has been a steep increase in the number and popularity of these 'niche' search sites.

Enter the 'Vertical Search Engine'. A vertical search engine is basically a destination or a 'Portal' site. Vertical Search Engines offer to businesses and enthusiasts what the big players can only deliver with complex keyword combinations. That is relevant and essential content versus millions of sites results filled with vague information.

So to answer the question, "Will Google Search be challenged by this rapid 'Vertical' growth?" The answer is Yes, it is quite likely when it comes to specialized 'niche' areas Google and other broad-based search engine sites such as Yahoo and MSN will feel the competition. Their user base will continue to be chipped away by the increasingly popular targeted vertical search engines.

What Specifically is the difference between a 'Vertical Search Engine' and a 'Broad-Based Search Engine'?

A broad-based search engine sends out 'web crawlers' better known as 'spiders' to fetch a very large number of documents. A program called an indexer then reads these documents and creates a search index based upon the text contained in each site specifically. All search engines have their own set of criteria or more technically an algorithm to create indexes of the categories of the keywords found in the text. This way in a perfect world only ideal meaningful specific results would be returned.

Whereas vertical search engines only 'spider' a very refined database. There indexes then contain only information relating to a specific topic which will reach a highly targeted and focused audience. Examples of businesses that use vertical search engines are real estate, medical, employment, tourism, and corporate purchasing.

How are vertical search engines competition?

The broad-based search engines rapidly are getting broader and broader by the millions. This has become a frustration for those of us looking for specific targeted information. We are forced to do multiple searches with unique keyword combinations to get the information we are looking for. Often it takes several searches and having to research many pages deep for the pertinent info we seek. A Microsoft study revealed that an average user will spend 11 minutes on a typical search.

On the other hand a vertical search engine offers quality and specific information on a specialized topic. They target local, professional, and social groups of information.

Here is a quick example. You are a fisherman looking for gear. When using a vertical search engine you submit the word 'rods', you will be getting specific information on 'fishing rods'. Curtain rods, lightening rods, hot rods, and Rod the sexy plumber will not come in your search. Can you see how this can save a lot of time and aggravation?

Who does the vertical search engine market cater to?

The vertical search engine market generally caters to someone looking to target a niche audience. When a consumer enters a vertical search engine they are looking for something very specific and generally are at the brink of the seek, find and buy mode. Search engines have been proved to be the most popular form of finding what you want on the Internet. The growing number of businesses advertising on the net gives even the most savvy of search engine optimizers a run for their money.

This is where hitting a vertical search engine market would help you to get a leg up on your competition. There may be fewer people using the vertical search engines but all the people there are a targeted audience looking precisely for what you are offering or something related to it. A business that may otherwise have been lost 20 pages deep in Google now can have a first or second page appearance. In fact a vertical search engine will drive traffic to their portals by buying Keywords on Google and other broad based search engines. One less and often expensive step for the businesses listing on their site.

Examples of Vertical Search Engines are...

SimplyHired.com
Kayak.com
Healthline.com
Edgeio.com
Technorati.com

The big players such as Google and Yahoo have now offered in various stages of development their own versions of vertical search engines. Whether or not they will be able to compete with the integrity of established vertical engines is yet to be seen.

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