Health Search Engines Wanted
According to JupiterResearch, 71% of online consumers run queries through search engines in order to find answers to health-related questions, but only 16% of them find the information they want. This seems to indicate that there is a strong, but mostly ignored, demand for effective health-focused search engines.
These findings are discussed in a report released by JupiterResearch. “Despite strong demand for health information, most online consumers’ search experiences are negative,” said Monique Levy, who is a Senior Analyst at JupiterResearch, and the author of the research report titled “Health Search: Assessing Consumers’ Demand for Health Vertical Search Engines.”
Levy added, “The combination of high demand and poor experience means there is a significant opportunity for better engines and products in the market.”
David Schatsky, President of JupiterKagan, agreed with these sentiments. “Search engines must work toward striking the right balance between search efficiency, quality of results and proprietary feature sets. Online consumers are interested in features that improve and facilitate their searches as long as they don’t add an unnecessary layer of complexity.”
Currently, there are only a handful of health-focused search engines that are used on a widespread basis, including WebMD, AOL Health, and MSN Health & Fitness, but the opportunity for more relevant search engines seems to be evident from JupiterResearch’s findings.
One can easily imagine Google making a foray into this field. Seventy-one percent of all online consumers could very well translate into big advertising dollars for the search giant, and for any other company that decides to seriously push this sector of the online search world.
Source:
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