Google, Yahoo!, MSN, in Metasearch Study
Bellevue, Washington – (Cheap Web Hosting Directory) – June 4, 2007 – Search technology firm, InfoSpace, Inc., has unveiled a new study, revealing that vastly different results from top search engine findings reinforce the value of metasearch engines.
The study, highlighting results from search results evaluated from the four leading search engines, indicated that each delivers dramatically different results from one another. In fact, first page results on Google, Yahoo!, Windows Live (formerly MSN Search) and Ask (formerly Ask Jeeves) overlap less than one percent. With search engines producing such differing results, the study illustrates the value of metasearch and Dogpile.com, which returns the top results from each of these leading search engines to provide users with the most relevant and useful information.
Rod Diefendorf, Vice President of online and local search at InfoSpace remarked, ”This study reinforces what we at InfoSpace have long known – often users do not find the results they need with any single search engine. Metasearch offers the most robust and efficient search solution to meet their needs. With less than one percent overlap in first page results, there is great value to using a metasearch engine like Dogpile.com to quickly comb through multiple search engines at once for the most relevant results.”
Different Engines, Different Results, was conducted by researchers from The Pennsylvania State University and Queensland University of Technology in April 2007. Key findings highlight the value of metasearch and include:
- Only 0.6 percent of 776,435 first-page search results were the same across the top four Web search engines
- Between 38 and 46 percent of all searches fail to elicit a click on a first-page search result, don’t meet users needs and drive users to try additional engines.
- Web searchers on average use three search engines a month
- Search result rankings differ significantly across major search engines; only 3.6 percent of the number-one ranked, non-sponsored search results were the same across all search engines in a given query
The study expanded on a similar overlap study conducted in 2005, finding that the major engines produce even fewer of the same results today than they did just two years ago. Dr. Jim Jansen of The Pennsylvania State University remarked, ”There is a perception that most search engines function similarly and deliver the same results, but that is not what these result show. In fact, the engines are increasingly diverging in their approach to searching the web. For some searches, users are obviously missing quality results.”
Another recent study confirms that Internet users are seeking out multiple engines and greatly value the benefits of metasearch. In 2006, Dogpile.com received the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates award, ranking it ‘Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Internet Users with Primary Search Engines/Functions’ in the U.S.A.1 The J.D. Power and Associates study also found that nearly 75 percent of Internet subscribers use multiple search engines, with 44 percent of those customers using multiple search engines because each one has better sources depending on customer needs. Dogpile.com has long embraced this customer-oriented view and combines results from multiple engines to bring together the highest ranked results in one place.
In conjunction with releasing the study, Dogpile.com debuted a refreshed look and feel, enhanced usability, an improved algorithm, and a ”video metasearch” capability that delivers video results from multiple sources.
Web metasearch engine Dogpile, ranked highest in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates, makes it easy for users to search more of the Web by drawing together the top results from the most popular search engines. Dogpile.com is part of the InfoSpace family of web search and online directory properties.
InfoSpace, Inc. is a developer of tools and technologies to help people discover and enjoy content and information, through mobile phones and PCs. The company’s mobile platform and applications, such as InfoSpace Find It! (www.infospacefindit.com), are designed to create programming and sales opportunities for carriers, while satisfying consumer demand for highly relevant mobile functionality and content. InfoSpace uses its proprietary metasearch technology to power a portfolio of branded web sites, including Dogpile (www.dogpile.com) and Zoo (www.zoo.com), a new kid-friendly search engine, and provide private-label search and online directory services to consumers on a global basis.
To learn more about the study, please visit: www.infospaceinc.com/overlapstudy.
For more information about InfoSpace, please visit: www.infospaceinc.com.
To learn more about Dogpile, please visit: www.dogpile.com.
