With Microsoft's Bing gaining traction, Google has no intention of letting its guard down.
In a 10 August post on Google’s Webmaster Central Blog, Google announced to the web developer community that it’s testing the next generation of its search technology.
While there appear to be only minimal changes to the display of search results, Google does seem to be overhauling its entire search technology infrastructure and backbone.
Some noticeable differences include:
- Ajax-delivered search results – if rolled out in its current format, this new technology would render 3rd party analytics software unable to record Google traffic. This could be a real problem for companies like WebTrends.
- 1-click results – Google is putting links directly into the drop-down keyword suggestion box. We tried searching for "Honda Australia", and the first keyword suggestion was a link to the Honda AU site, not a search query, as shown below.
Google appear to be willing to forego the revenue that could be derived from advertisers who seek to advertise against that search query, in favour of a one-click result – and a happier user. Ajax and user-centricity at their best!
- Amazing speed – it seems about twice as fast as the current version of Google search, and several times faster than Yahoo or MSN.
To preview Google’s new search technology, visit http://www2.sandbox.google.com.