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Yahoo! Adds Greater Functionality and Relevance to Boost Its Search Market Share

The bigger the Web gets, the harder it is to find the information you need. So search is the principal starting point for many Internet users. The Google juggernaut has virtually swept the search function, to the point of actually becoming a verb in the Internet user search lexicon. But the original Internet search giant, Yahoo!, still has a significant share of the market, and tertiary players such as Ask.com are vying for a bigger slice of the search pie. Benchmark recently caught up with Michael Kronthal, director of customer insights, Yahoo! Search Group, to get his views on the state of search and Yahoo!’s ongoing technological advances in the search arena and their impact on the user experience.

Benchmark: In the most recent Keynote Customer Experience study for Internet search, Yahoo! finished a solid second across the board to Google, with the exception of home page design, where Yahoo! came in first. What kind of strategies are you exploring to try and capture some of the leadership in Internet search?

Michael Kronthal: First is really focusing on our end-users and working to deliver them the best web experience possible. We’re investing aggressively in innovation in this area. Our users are key. At the same time we’re investing aggressively in technology and platforms to allow us to drive innovation.

We have some new search features that have come out recently that are proof of the power of this investment to help users accomplish their web search goals.

We’re focused on three key areas: Product enhancements like the recent Search Assist and some of the enhanced shortcuts; Integration with other products and services like our oneSearch on the mobile device, Yahoo! Answers and other special properties. And then key distribution and partnerships with companies like HP, Acer, as well as Apple with their iPhone.

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