CheezeDMG Blog

Most people would say that the current hot topic within search marketing revolves around the Yahoo/Microsoft deal. However, something of equal interest to search advertisers should be the new Twitter homepage in which is ‘Search’ focused. Following on from James Glick’s blog post on Twitter back in December 2008 , I can now report that the new homepage for Twitter incorporates a search tool bar allowing users to search on what people are talking about on Twitter.

New Twitter Home Page

In my opinion, over the long term, this is much more exciting than the Yahoo/Microsoft deal which at the end of the day is merely a shift in who has control over the ads displayed on search engines. Twitter Search indicates something that could really challenge the dominance of Google et al.

It has been clear for a while that Twitter is becoming something powerful within the online marketplace and eventually this will translate into a powerful tool for advertisers. What’s really interesting though is the potential Twitter has to make a dent on the search marketing world, with a bit more to go than the likes of Cuil and Wolphram Alpha, that a PR splash, have come and gone.

From a consumer’s perspective, Twitter could be very exciting. For example, if you want to fly to LA from London. The prices between BA and Virgin are pretty much the same, so you want to find out how the service and experience of each airline compare. If you search on Google, it will take you a while to find real opinions from real customers who have flown with these airlines. However, on Twitter, you instantly get real opinions, thoughts and reviews that are largely non-biased. Example results from a search on Twitter for ‘British Airways’ are below:

Being able to search for opinions, news, thoughts, reviews, ideas, and recommendations on any subject that is generated naturally by people is a powerful concept and unique to the online space. The two key challenges Twitter has is what would be the best way to get tweeters and consumers to use Twitter as a ‘Search Engine’ rather than just to tweet, and secondly the best way to monetise their search engine once they have built up query volume. The key would be not to dilute the ‘Independent opinions’ whilst bringing in the advertising revenue.

The new Twitter homepage also follows on from Twitter’s recent guide for business, Twitter 101, suggesting an attempt to refine Twitter’s offer to its users. The guide teaches brands how to communicate effectively via 140 characters, underlines best practices and offers several successful case studies from companies including Dell.

In summary, Twitter could and should bring something unique to the search marketing space. Something really to get excited about!

To find out how CheezeDMG can help with your brand’s Twitter experience, please contact tim.cook@cheezedmg.com.

At CheezeDMG we’re always evaluating and reviewing new search engines to make sure we’re adding maximum value to our clients’ PPC campaigns and to gauge whether they can break the Google stranglehold too! In the same vein that we have reviewed/evaluated Cuil, Kumo, Twitter and Oparla in the past, we were really excited to experiment with another new entry into the market with Wolfram Alpha.

Wolfram Alpha, created by Stephen Wolfram, has been creating substantial Internet buzz in recent weeks with private beta access and online webinars providing interesting insight into what to expect.

Stephen Wolfram founded one of the world’s most respected software companies, Wolfram Research, in 1987 which has released mathematical and scientific software over the years and now is entering the search engine market. It pitches itself as a “computational knowledge engine” and is in no way a direct competitor to Google, but a completely new take on retrieving mathematical and scientific answers from an increasing array of areas such as Mathematics, Physics, Date & Time, Engineering and Finance. Instead of searching a pre-set database of information and statistics like other online encyclopaedias, it searches the internet in real time for accurate and up to date sources of data.

Search for "$250 + 15%" on Wolfram Alpha

In terms of the format of results, instead of receiving a list of websites that hold relevant information in accordance with your search, Wolfram Alpha simply produces one result using the highest level of accuracy possible using its algorithm. For example, one of the example searches that Wolfram Alpha suggests to get new users acclimatised is “$250 + 15%”. Please see screenshot to the right or view it for yourself here.

It doesn’t simply give you the answer but even gives you the option of seeing the workings in more detail. This is one of the unique selling points of the search engine, the ability to solve problems and questions for you in real time. It can, however, undertake much more advanced maths, how about trying “x^2 sin(x)” for size?

The other key uses of Wolfram Alpha are the statistics and research, with the ability to source accurate and useful information and display it in a coherent and well thought out manner. For example, searching for “earthquakes in america” (see screen shot below left) results in a map of the United States, with dots depicting recent recordings and additional options like magnitude and time period to tailor the result for users’ need.

Search for "earthquakes in america" on Wolfram Alpha

The search engine is clearly highly intelligent and the quality of results is very high and of course relevant. But it is still missing areas that it can’t interpret like climate change. The gaps will be filled in time, and probably dictated by the users themselves, so by Wolfram essentially meeting demand. With their successful software company, they can financially back continued development, which sets it apart from nearly all other start-up search engines we’ve seen in recent times.

Stephen Wolfram has the product, the money and the programmers to make this successful, though how will he persuade the users of the search engine, you and I, to use it on a regular basis?

When Google were fighting it out in the original search engine war all those years ago with the likes of Yahoo, Miva, Lycos, Excite and Hotbot, the introduction of the browser toolbar helped the Mountain View occupants develop an edge over their rivals by increasing the ease of accessibility and use. Wolfram Alpha is looking to do the same…

Wolfram Alpha is a combination of a useful everyday tool and a search engine which certainly keeps itself an encouraging distance from Google’s well known offering. To encourage users into using the service on a regular basis, it has developed a series of toolbars and widgets which will improve accessibility not only within the browser, but on the desktop and the mobile as well. The full list can be found here but they include browser toolbars, windows and mac widgets as well as an iPhone app and even an iGoogle gadget. The time and money invested in developing these tools will be well worth it if they can encourage the use of Wolfram Alpha in users’ everyday internet lives.

As we are all too aware with Twitter, having a hugely popular product is not enough to sustain a healthy future. Even with the financial backing of Wolfram Research, the maintenance of servers etc will soon lead to the demand of a fruitful business model. A PPC or CPM model would make sense, though there are no clear indications as yet of which direction they’ll go in. They are, however, already inviting interest in a site sponsorship that suggests they won’t be adopting a PPC or CPM model.

The below graph courtesy of Google Trends may not be a clear indication of the usage levels so far but is a clear sign of the rapid rise in interest the search engine/tool is experiencing:

Wolfram Alpha Search Volume over last 30 days

One thing is clear, Wolfram Alpha is an incredibly powerful and intelligent tool, though we know from history that this doesn’t necessarily result in long term success. The difference with Wolfram Alpha, is that it has the financial backing, it has the product, the integration tools and widgets that many other aforementioned search engines never had. In short, it’s perfectly set to become the most significant and high profile search technology in recent times and by placing itself as an extension and not a competitor to Google, it has given itself a fighting chance.

@CheezeDMG
@JamesDGlick

Our Client Services Director, Mike Groves, spoke at Internet World Expo yesterday with a presentation on “What’s going to be bigger than Google in 2009″.

Some of Mike’s points were being tweeted as he made them, see the resulting Twitter stream here http://bit.ly/vDz54

To all those that weren’t fortunate enough to be there to see it, please find the first 25 slides of the presentation below and you can download it in full by clicking here:

twitter.com/MikeGroves
twitter.com/CheezeDMG

First we had Cuil, developed by experienced ex-Googlers and now there is another search engine trying to break up Google’s market share. Oparla arrived on 14th April, birthed by 29-year-old Internet entrepreneur Daniel Jupp, founder of online SEM consultancy company Apple Jupp Media Ltd.

Whereas with Cuil, the unique selling point was the interface and the way the results were displayed, this time it’s about letting users rank sites according to relevance and quality of the content.  Oparla’s interface is colourful and simple, yet difficult to focus on at times and subsequently “trying too hard to be different” comes to mind.  Though arguably they have to, to differentiate themselves from the dominate big G.

Oparla search results

The ability to rate results is welcomed, though we’ll have to wait until Google has decided whether their SearchWiki experiment has been rendered a success or not.  The measurements of engagement will really gauge whether this is the future and a indicator for Oparla that their on to something.

New search engines are always welcomed and innovation cannot be left up to Google, and the ideal of having a more equal market share among the search engines would only drive these innovative ventures. Both Cuil and Oparla could have futures if they develop on site search deals for example and essentially forcefully integrate themselves into users everyday internet engagement.

As with any start up, it’s essential to either develop a business model from the off or attract investment from the potential on offer with a view to implementing a strategy later, a la Twitter.  Oparla are currently offering a month’s free advertisement to stimulate revenue and with the launch hype it’s potentially a good move from advertisers and companies point of view.   Free brand exposure anyone?

The advertising platform is fairly basic at current, with no PPC model, just pay per ad space, which doesn’t invigorate competition and growth, though maybe this will be developed with time.

Can Oparla be a success and if it can, why can’t Cuil?  The key feature yet to be mentioned, that could be the key difference between the two is the desire from Jupp to create a community of searchers.

“Those who register and comment on the search results will be helping to shape the development of a search engine in way that previously, was unheard of.” (NetImperative)

By only allowing registered users to rate, comment and message other co-searchers, Oparla could not only increase the quality of results but turn itself into a social search channel.  Time will of course tell whether they have caught on to something here.  They will need to enforce the Oparla dream and functionality upon internet users and as mentioned, their daily behaviours and online journeys.

One things clear, no one can compete with the market share Google has within traditional search, Yahoo and MSN have managed to stay afloat by integrating search within their email services and portals.  Start ups must “search” for a different angle just like Blinkx has with their video focused search engine.  In the same way, Oparla could take the first steps into producing a social network out of search and potentially open a corridor of opportunity for more start ups with a vision.

Cuil’s arrival on the search engine scene is has been a modest one, (Techcrunch defined their modesty as ’stealth mode’). It’s a brave step to venture into a world that giants like Microsoft haven’t yet been able to become category leaders in, and under scrutiny which seems to expect them to be as good or better than the competition from release.

Cuil hasn’t had the easiest of treatment by the press, most of whom (understandably) have concentrated on the fact that the founders are ex-Google as to be fair, everyone loves to hear the hint of discord amongst the Google ranks or that their ’secret algorithms’ may have been leaked. The repeated downtime since launch has also been picked up on as a negative sign of things to come, which is perhaps a little hasty.

The Google pedigree is something Cuil has up its sleeves, but doesn’t guarantee that it will make their product good, or more importantly, popular. We know how many people migrated [from agencies and media owners] to MSN when they launched, but regardless of how good their engine is, the audience did not follow.

It would be naïve to think that Cuil could be a Google beater from inception, more it’s the ideas behind Cuil that make it interesting. Here are five reasons we think Cuil could well be the future of search….

1. A Unique Database of URLS

Claimed to be in the region of 120 billion [v. Google's 1 trillion] but what is more important is the fact that this is the first substantial new database for a long time. Instead of the big 3 search engines [from an index size], we could well be looking at the big 4.

2. Unique Look & Feel

Cuil is very different to the mainstream engines. Results aren’t ranked in a linear fashion and for a start, they include images on the same pages as the site description, rather than keeping them separate as Google do currently. Visual search is exciting, and whilst it takes some of us back to the days of keyword banners, it has been something that many have speculated could do for search what the album cover scrolling function did for the ipod.

Seeing really is believing, and whilst the images on Cuil are small and several people have noticed that at the moment they don’t always match the brand they are being shown against ( but do the images in the Google news feed always click through to the story they are displayed against?) they link the search result text to the website you will land on if you click, and this is good – we’ve all clicked on a link to find that it wasn’t what we were expecting.

If they can fix the bugs then this is a great addition to their product. Cuil are not the first to do this, and sites such as http://www.searchme.com/ show that others are getting results, and users from this approach. Google have recently switched the orientation of the paid search listings post page one so that they are all above the fold in three neat columns. We are all used to seeing hierarchical results for search, but a new approach is always welcome and a visual one offers new ways to increase click throughs by clever site image optimization and management.

The layout also reaffirms why they are potentially a new engine to behold. Google’s success has lead all other engines to mimic the layout, effectively becoming Google clones. A radical redesign is a bold and exciting move.

3. Privacy Policy

Cuil don’t track their user’s search history, unlike most of the competition, because they say they don’t need to. Google don’t need to, they just choose to. Whilst we are outraged, when ISP’s track user behaviour, try to sell it or pass it to the authorities, we don’t leave Google because their track our behaviour. So this privacy sounds great, but will it actually be a USP for the average consumer - possibly…

4. Philosophy:

Cuil have one, and it’s a good’un.

They have a page dedicated to how they work and why.

Does Google? Google has always said it champions the user and that it’s advertising restrictions and quirks are all about making sure that the results shown are the most relevant to the searcher, but do things like lifting their trademark policy on May 5th increase the likelihood that the user sees the brand they are searching for in the listings for their query?

Cuil rather sweetly explains in its philosophy pages it’s approach to indexing the ever increasing volume of web pages,

Imagine if the phone company decided to stop listing infrequently called numbers in the phone book. Maybe no one phones your grandmother much, but if her friend from the old neighborhood wants to get in touch, shouldn’t her number be in the book? Cuil lists all the numbers, even the ones that aren’t called much. Because one day someone will need that number.

There’s a fair bit of the ‘Innocent’ approach to consumer marketing in this statement, and it’s not the only place that echoes of their strategy come across in the way Cuil describe themselves, but what does the grandma bit mean for web masters and agencies alike? Does it mean that even if you don’t have to constantly reinvent the way you structure and optimize your SEO content to stay ahead of the competition for your relevant search queries?

5. Advertising:

None – yet. It took several years for Google to develop adsense, MSN & Yahoo are still working to make theirs as user friendly and expansive. Cuil’s backers will want to see a return, so it needs to bring in revenue -but how do you align paid search within their search pages? – will we see a tab for ‘sponsored listings’ appear at the top left hand side?

Half of making money from paid search is about the advertiser interface & capability, and it will be interesting to see whether their offering, if and when it comes is as unusual and innovative as their search engine.

In Summary

So, Cuil at launch is not the Cuil it has the potential to be in 5 years time. Google at inception was a work in progress and the volume of users and its search capability improved as it grew.

Google, circa November 11th 1998, courtesy of the Wayback Machine.

Cuil has some good features that make it a potential competitor to the others, or at least an engine to drive change amongst them. I hope that its critics can accept that there were always going to be glitches, but that as time progresses these will be ironed out.

What Cuil need now is to build their brand amongst consumers, because the site can be as beautiful and innovative as they like, with the best philosophy in the world, but without users what’s the point?

I hope that Cuil will grow and succeed, and if it does, it will mean advertisers and agencies alike will have to adapt to the Cuil philosophy. Maybe one day we’ll all be attending the Cuil Village Fete. Lets hope they don’t sell out!