I noticed that Google are experimenting more with related search and someone had spotted an ad where MSN was touting their related search (sorry, I can’t find the link to this). This is good for users and for the search engine’s bank balance.
It’s good for the users because related search is useful and really easy to use. They help people form longer, more refined queries and the net result is that people are more likely to find what they are looking for. I’m pleased to see that Google’s related searches are not necessarily lexically related. For example they suggest crafts for hobbies. This is in contrast to Yahoo’s related searches (labelled “Also Try”) – which are lame because they always contain the original search term. Google’s related searches look less lame than Yahoo’s. I’m not one of the random users that is seeing them – so I haven’t had a chance to test them out yet.
It’s good to show the related searches at the bottom of the page. If a user reaches the bottom of the page then the search results haven’t satisfied them and the related searches provide an easy way to try and find some more relevant results. We do this on all of our site searches. However related searches are so useful they should also be somewhere at the top of the page. Either above the search results (like Yahoo) or at the side (like Ask). I think right at the top is best.
Related searches will help Google’s bank balance because related searches help people find what they are looking for – be it organic or paid results. Search Engines who use our related search have reported 10-15% jump in revenue from paid search. This is one of those nice situations where you improve the user experience and it helps the bottom line.
