Ask Jeeves boosts its search service

by Philip Buxton, Revolution UK 22-Dec-04

Ask Jeeves has launched four new 'smart' search tools as it continues to boost the relevance of its results to compete with Google, MSN and Yahoo!

Services include 'binoculars', an option that allows users to roll over an icon and see a preview of the site behind a search result. The tool has already been applied to the most popular results in certain categories and will be rolled out across Ask Jeeves' search listings as its storage capacity increases.

Tony Macklin, director of product at Ask Jeeves, said that, in the US, research had found the new tool reduced the number of clicks needed to find results by up to 50 per cent.

The firm has also introduced a more sophisticated system for its 'related searches', which provide options for users to search based on specific topics within their original search.

The two other tools are a dedicated solution for obtaining information on new films and a dictionary search for finding the definitions of words.

Macklin commented: "What we are trying to do with each of these (tools) is to make search smarter and more intuitive, and also to help make it easier for users to find precisely what they are looking for."