Yahoo’s New Mobile Browser Search Results Are Better Than Its App

Yahoo has unveiled a new mobile search experience today with richer content that aims — and this will remind you of Bing’s messaging — to help users “take action right away.”

It’s an important update for Yahoo, with mobile search activity continuing to grow. (Remember Google’s recent announcement that there are more mobile searches than desktop searches in the U.S. and at least nine other countries.)

In today’s announcement, Yahoo’s Andrew Poon says the idea behind the new search results is to go beyond a list of links to an experience “that connects you immediately to the people, places and things you care about.”

We know when you’re on the go, you’re often searching for a specific piece of information. So rather than delivering endless links for you to sift through on a small screen, we beautifully assemble the most relevant information in a way that allows you to take action right away.

The new mobile search results are live now, but only in mobile browsers. Yahoo’s app, in fact, now provides what I’d say is a pale comparison to the new mobile browser search experience. Have a look at these two examples — one of a local restaurant near me, and one of a search for Adele.

The new browser-based results are on the left, and Yahoo’s app search results are on the right. As you can see, the new experience is more visual with richer content, and — in the case of the restaurant search — gives me quick access to call the restaurant, get directions or see its menu. A definite upgrade to the Yahoo app, which is more about those “10 blue links” that have become a thing of the past across most modern search experiences.

We’ve contacted Yahoo to ask if the app will soon get an upgrade similar to the mobile browser; I’m assuming it will, but we’ve not received a reply yet.

Postscript: A Yahoo spokesperson shared this statement with us, which is non-committal about bringing a similar experience to the Yahoo app:

We want to stay focused on bringing the best experience to our users, so we’re rolling out initially to smartphone users on the mobile web in the U.S. We look forward to continuing to learn from and with our users as we work hard to make this new mobile search experience even better.