Ask.com And You Shall Recieve: Speedier Searches

search engine Google interface

Launched in 1996 as AskJeeves.com, the search engine has never really cracked into and stayed in the mainstream, as evidenced by its market-share ranking: fourth. Of course, the field is dominated by Google, but Ask.com is hoping that by culling structured sources of data, the search engine will provide more utility than its competitors.

A structured source of data means that Ask.com gives users smarter results. So, a search for the Chicago Bears, for example, gives a listing of team news, information, merchandise and television listings.

A portion of the results are cross-indexed with other searches going on across the Web from sites like Yahoo Answers, for example. Results are also generated by the input on Ask.com itself, in order to give users a taste of the conversation that is going on around searched terms.

The interface has also changed in the latest iteration. The first and last set of results listed on the page appear to be paid ads. Users can then scroll down to find the most relevant results. On the right hand side of the mostly spare page are related search terms. When searching the Chicago Bears, Ask.com suggests terms such as "Walter Payton," "Chicago Bears Logo" and "Brian Urlacher."

All in all, the page design looks strikingly similar to Google's search result pages. It is relatively uncluttered, offers the results in clickable links and provides key words that look liked Google's purchased key words.

One of the biggest changes Ask.com it touting is its improved speed. On the What's New page of Ask.com, the team says they've heard users clamoring for improved speed and have taken up the call. "You told us you need faster answers. We've listened, and redesigned our site to make the new Ask.com lightning fast. Give it a try, we think you'll notice the difference."

According to some reports, Ask.com is operating 30 percent more quickly than it has in the past.