Ask Jeeves Announces Launch of Binoculars Site Preview Tool
So it wasn't a figment of our imagination, at Search Engine Lowdown we really did get the scoop by uncovering a new offering by Ask Jeeves, and today the search engine is set to announce the official launch of its Binoculars Site Preview.

According to Ask, the beta launch of Binoculars , a patent-pending site preview tool, is now available for those accessing Ask Jeeves through broadband connections (that explains why some of our readers coudn't find the binoculars). The Binoculars tool enables users to quickly and easily preview their search results before clicking-through to visit the end pages themselves. According to an independent user study conducted by VeriTest, "binoculars" reduced the number of clicks required to find relevant results by 50-70% per search.

"Ask Jeeves' goal continues to be helping users find what they need in a smarter and more intuitive way, and these new features do just that," said Jim Lanzone, Senior Vice-President of Search Properties for Ask Jeeves. "Our users can meet the important needs of their everyday lives all in the same place. They can confidently find the perfect wedding gift, track that important package, or catch up on their favorite sports team. At the same time, the Binoculars feature allows users to say good-bye to pogo-sticking; that time-consuming process of repeatedly returning to the results page. Whatever information searchers need, Ask Jeeves will find it."

How does the new Binoculars preview tool work, I hear you ask? According to Ask exec's, a small binoculars icon appears next to most Ask Jeeves search results. When a user's cursor is moved over the icon, a small window instantly appears above or below the result, featuring an image of the end site. By scrolling through a series of Binoculars images, a user can evaluate the quality of a search results set without "pogo-sticking" between the Ask Jeeves results page and the results themselves. When a desired result is found, a user can directly click-through.

Just in case that isn't enough for you, Ask also expanded its Smart Search features, which enable users to conduct more effective searches by helping narrow, broaden or more directly answer user queries. SmartSearch utilizes Ask Jeeves' proprietary combination of Teoma search, natural language, and structured-data search technologies to deliver this more intuitive search experience. We've already reported on most of these new Smart Searches, but now Ask Jeeves makes it official.


Ask Jeeves Salutes All Fathers
Andy Beal | permalink | +marktd |