Search engines have become an ubiquitous part of our Internet experience, and to most of us, the gateway to the Internet is through search engines. 

Search engines have also matured in their technology, and have added more features in trying to catch up with the gargantuan demand for information retrieval. They are definitely getting better, but are they the best yet? Not yet. Here are some of my recommendations for an effective search engine. I shall cite Google as the reference.

1. Sort options, easily laid out: 

By default, search engines throw results they deem appropriate, churned out of their proprietary algorithms. Sorting results the way you want isn’t easy. In Google, you have to click the “Advanced Search” option which takes you to a new page, away from your search results. 

It would make sense if some of the common sort options (Sort by Recency, Sort by Relevancy, Sort by Popularity, Sort by Page Rank) were laid out horizontally, and the user could easily switch to each of these sort options without having to leave the page.

2. Audio search:

Imagine if you muttered a few words or a tune, and Google returned search results based on the sample? Yes, its possible because the technology exists, and its only a matter of time. The applications are many and varied, for e.g., you could search for a song you know nothing about except its tune!

3. Content Compare (Audio, Video, Image, Text)

Here is a service that could benefit anyone dealing in intellectual property. You could use this service to check if a new logo, jingle or content doesn’t resemble something that already exists, or if you wish to check for counterfeits or IP misuse. Since Google gathers exabytes of data, it could provide the right platform for this service. Even if it were introduced as a premium service, my bet is, it will have many takers!.

These are some of the features I could think of, and there are a hundred other ways of improving and adding more utility to the ubiquitous search. Though Google has won the battle for search, the war hasn’t been won yet. 

Search is intrinsic to our quest for knowledge and information, and search engines are still at its nascent best. Whoever makes searching easier, intuitive and seamless will eventually turn up trumps.

Featured Image source courtesy Danard Vincente