Mike Grehan spotted Google testing a new feature that appears to enable you to add URLs of your choice to particular searches.
Mike searched on “digital cameras,” and at the bottom of the results up came a message from Google that looked like this:
The box says, “Know of a better page” and invites you to enter the URL of a page for that search, promising:
Next time, we’ll place it up top for you, with this marker: *
Do the search again, and this should mean that the result will come up at the top of the search page with a red asterisk next to it. It’s a form of personalized search, with tagging and bookmarking all in one.
I hope to get more details on this from Google, and update this post at that time.
Postscript From Danny: Yahoo MyWeb used to somewhat like this, but that the feature was pulled in October 2006, when the Yahoo Toolbar was updated to have Yahoo Bookmarks functionality. Meanwhile, Google Bookmarks also allows you to annotate your search results at Google.
Postscript From Barry: Here is a response from Google:
We are always working on innovative ways to improve our index and provide users with relevant information. What you are seeing is an experiment that we are currently testing. We run between 50-200 search experiments at any given time and based on user feedback, we may or may not develop new features and products. For more information on our live experiments, please visit http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/04/this-is-test-this-is-only-test.html.
Related Topics: Google: Web Search
A variation on the theme if you like.
Since approx Dec. 2004 Exalead has allowed users to add their favorite pages or what they call shortcuts (with screen caps too!) to their now transportable home page.
In recent months Exalead has made it easier to add “shortcuts” to your personalized home page with new inks labeled “Add to Shortcuts” found next to each result.
“We run between 50-200 search experiments at any given time and based on user feedback, we may or may not develop new features and products.”
Translation: Don’t look at the man behind the curtain!
Honestly, these tests the engines run must have to do with adoption rates and noting technical. Between “Personalized Search” and “Universal Search,” none of my civilian, non-marketing friends seem to notice any difference as a result of these improvements.