search marketing blog: ambergreen

Yahoo is striding ahead with mobile search as they launch their Yahoo! oneSearch on their Yahoo! Mobile Web Service, making oneSearch available to more than 85% of mobile phone users in the US.

Yahoo oneSearch essentially redefines mobile search, giving users the opportunity to view not simply a list of links, as mobile users are currently used to, but a more complete picture of the information they need, all on one page.

Although oneSearch was launched in January this year, this new service makes it available to mobile users, opening up a potentially huge new audience for Yahoo!

For example, if you are in the centre of Edinburgh and type in ‘zoo’, likelihood is that you are looking for information on Edinburgh Zoo, not just general information on zoos. Yahoo! oneSearch also gives you reviews and community ratings, making it useful for both locals and visitors alike.

Yahoo’s press release on the launch explains;

“For example, if a consumer wants to go to a movie this weekend they just need to type the name of the movie into the search box. The search results would first list the movie, including a user rating, local theaters the movie is playing at, news headlines related to the movie and more. To dig more deeply into the results, a consumer would simply need to click on any item or category. For example, to see all the movies playing at a specific listed theater just click on the theater name.”

Essentially oneSearch is a fantastic way of taking mobile search out of the realm of being a will it/won’t it future technology, to being one that is actually really easy to use and helpful.

There is a great Yahoo! oneSearch screencast that gives a great overview of the product, or you can check out the mobile site on your PC and try it on your phone at m.yahoo.com.

Posted in Yahoo!, Mobile Search |