Yahoo! says 'me too' to Google Instant with Search Direct

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 24 March 2011 13:07

Business IT - Networking

Not to be outdone by its far more popular competitor, Yahoo! has added a search-as-you-type feature to its search engine.

Yahoo! is playing catch-up with Google by adding predictive searching to its search engine. It predicts what the user is typing, providing the 10 most likely searches, and displays the results of common searches such as addresses and movie screenings before the user clicks Search.

Other features of Yahoo!'s Search Direct include the top search trends, and rich content for searches relating to news, sport and finance.

"With today's launch, direct answers '” not the search results page '” is the primary focus. We are redefining the search process and prominently displaying direct answers where search decisions are being made," said Shashi Seth, senior vice president, Yahoo! search and marketplaces.

"Search Direct is evidence of Yahoo! continuing to lead innovation in search, enabling people to take action faster, find what is most important, and sample what is possible with the next stage of search technology."

Search Direct is initially available as a public beta in the US and will be extended to other Yahoo! products and geographical markets later in 2011.