Ask.Com Upgrade to Add Improved Relevance, Speed
Evan Andrews, a Jupiter Research analyst who was given a demo of the new and improved features, said Ask.com has a chance to attract new users, something that is hard in the search engine market because people grow very attached to their preferred provider -- Google for most.
However, there is a segment of users that Jupiter Research has identified as "power searchers" that have a voracious appetite for new search products and features. They might be drawn to give Ask.com a try and stick around if they like the improvements in blending different types of results, the so-called universal search concept that Google and all other major search providers are pursuing.
"Ask has always been a leader, a pioneer in universal search and pushed the envelope when it comes to that, so it stands a good chance to see additional gains in market share," Andrews said.
Andrews also liked the new Q&A search functionality, as well as the expanded repositories of structured data that Ask.com can tap to deliver direct answers to queries. "It's going to be difficult with just one announcement and some new features to overtake Google, but that doesn't mean Ask shouldn't try," he said. "Based on our research, the strategy of delivering richer search results is the right one."
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