A recent survey by FIND/SVP found that 84% of business executives queried thought Web searches using commercial search engines took longer than they should because they tended to deliver too many irrelevant results, resulting in an estimated loss of $31 billion in lost productivity. In addition, 74% expressed doubts that the results were reliable and 39% felt that information found online is outdated. Despite their reservations, 67% indicated it would be difficult or impossible to do their jobs without Web-based search tools, with 28% reporting they spend between 6 and 10 hours a week researching online. The most sought after information was financial information and reports, followed by information on competitors. "The commercial search market is dominated by search engines that must target the broadest consumer audience possible, with the broadest scope of content, in order to sell advertisements for any and every product and service possible," says a META Group VP. "The commercial search market has barely begun to address the untapped demand for highly specialized and screened content and we believe this market is poised for growth in the next three to five years."
posted by Marcus Zillman |
4:15 AM
