Yahoo tests revamped search with 'Glue Pages'

Update 3:30 p.m. PDT: A correction: Although only travel modules could be sponsored at launch, now all can be. Also, there's no display ad opportunity at present, though the sponsorship can mean more prominence than text ads. Update 11:45 p.m.: I updated with new detail from Yahoo, further information from the site, and some analysis.

Yahoo Glue Pages build a mini-portal around search results. It's in testing in India.

(Credit: Yahoo)

Yahoo has begun testing Glue Pages, a major new way to present search results that caters to its strength as an Internet portal.

Glue Pages, which the company began offering in beta form to Yahoo search users in India, combine traditional search results with a wealth of other related information. Traditional search results appear in a strip on the left side of the page, while other modules appear that spotlight sponsored links, recipes, medical information, Wikipedia entries, stock charts, Flickr images, train schedules, restaurant lists, news, and even Google blog search results.

Yahoo's Indian team developed the feature and so far there are no plans to bring it to the United States or other areas, said spokeswoman Kathryn Kelly.

"We encourage other regions to develop things that work for their regions," Kelly said. "If it does get traction, potentially something like it could launch in the United States."

Yahoo pioneered Internet portals, all-purpose sites where people can find everything they need, but Google found a much stronger business model through an effective search engine that presents bare-bones results with text ads alongside. Yahoo, though, hasn't given up, even though it continues to lose search share; In March the gap widened a bit more, with 59.8 percent of U.S. queries at Google and 21.3 percent at Yahoo, according to ComScore.

The search is interesting for other reasons besides Yahoo's portal strengths.

• First is display ads, the graphics that typically are used to tout brand names and logos. Google's cash engine is built on text ads today, and Yahoo has relative strength in display ads.

Glue Pages have prominent sponsorship opportunities, though not yet display ad opportunities, Kelly said. Glue pages launched with the ability to sponsor travel pages, but now all modules can be sponsored, she said.

• Second is the attempt to be more competitive with Google in its efforts to move to "universal search." Google today sometimes mixes other information such as photos alongside the traditional list of links in its search results, part of an effort to expand to provide a broader answer to what people are looking for.

Yahoo's guide to Glue Pages

(Credit: Yahoo)

• Third, Glue Pages will dovetail with the Y!OS, aka Yahoo Open Strategy, attempt to more tightly wire together its Web site while opening it up to outside programmers as a foundation.

"Glue will leverage the Yahoo application platform...in coming months," Kelly said, though today it doesn't yet. "We will eventually open it up, so developers could develop customized search results for Glue Pages the way we're doing it for Search Monkey."

• Last is the idea of vertical search, in which search results are tailored for a specific domain such as health. Vertical search sites aren't as plentiful in India than in the United States, Kelly said, so Glue Pages can provide a more tailored entry point to the Internet.

There's no date set yet for the feature coming out of beta testing, Kelly said.

The service is definitely in beta, though. I'm not sure why a search for "violin lessons" would produce a blank five-day stock chart from Yahoo Finance, for example.

(Via Search Engine Land)

[desmondhaynes]

I quite liked it, has a portal feel - looks as if someone manually crafted the page (in contrast to ad filled static page). Good to see Y! trying to innovate. So while Yang was squabbling with MS, the engineering team did do its work! :)
-Des
http://techwatch.reviewk.com/

[desmondhaynes]

I quite liked it, has a portal feel - looks as if someone manually crafted the page (in contrast to ad filled static page). Good to see Y! trying to innovate. So while Yang was squabbling with MS, the engineering team did do its work! :)
-Des
http://techwatch.reviewk.com/

[stalin20202020]

Good work geeks....keep it change everything beat microsoft and google....all the best yang...

[pubdomains-com]

I am more and more inclined to Yahoo Glue now as compared to Google, especially when I am doing any kind of research, getting a 360 degree view from multiple sources / videos etc helps to get more information in one glance as compared to classical / typical search result.

Thanks
Pubdomains.com | - http://pubdomains.wordpress.com

[benjaminstraight]

A comfortable portal...good job.

[CarlBischoff]

well any second choice has got to be good, come on Yahoo. I have viewed like a Ferrari running cows milk, with a real lack of vision this bodes better ...
Carl | - http://www.searchiq.com.au

[SmartClix-Marketing]

It's great to see what the pressure of Google is doing to Yahoo, in terms of forcing it to innovate!
However, the problem with this kind of innovation is it is the very reason why Google has grown in the first place. Google's search growth is primarily due to the simplicity and fantastic user experience. I believe Yahoo needs to remember this fact and consider the core purpose of it's product, that being to search and hopefully find. I look forward to further innovations, and in the mean time, happy Googling.

Anthony - http://smartclix.com.au/

[Ellen7667]

I love what happens when there is a little competition!!
I hope that Yahoo continues to come up with new ideas to stop Google from getting lazy.

The last thing we want is a complete monopoly, this isn't healthy :)

Cheers - Ellen http://mrsearch.com.au

[EvelynScott]

I just stumbled across this article and wasn't aware what Glue pages were. It looks to be quite interesting, but I'm not sure if they are going to use it now that they have merged with Bing. Maybe they can integrate with Bings platform and make it even more competitive with Google.

EvelynScott - http://www.jackpotpokies.com.au

[EvelynScott]

Also, with Google now so far ahead of the search game I wonder if things like this from competitors are just futile efforts.

Evelyn - <a href="http://www.jackpotpokies.com.au">Pokies</a>