When Google was founded in 1998, the standard for Internet service was still dialup – barely sufficient to support “media-rich” sites, let alone streaming video. Search engines were confined to plain text in the interest of speed. Today, with most internet users connecting by broadband, high-bandwidth implementations of search engines can have expanded abilities. One new search engine, called Searchme (www.searchme.com) , has attracted significant attention, including backing from Sequoia Capital, an early investor in Google.

The Searchme engine offers two innovations. First, the engine offers categories for keywords as they are entered in real time. The sites’ official promotion video gives the example of “taurus”: Searchme offers results in either astrology or cars, aiding the user by narrowing search spaces.

The second innovation is a visual preview of the pages, which can be likened to Cover Flow in iTunes:

Since search engines are essentially the “gateway” into the Web, this has enormous implications for the way pages are created. Searchme claims that a user can browse through its search results more than in pure text. Thus, “optimization” of a page will not only depend on its position in the list, but also by how visually attractive it is. A page will be successful through its designed aesthetic qualities and not solely on its degree of inter-linking.

If and when visual search engines overtake their traditional competitors, the greatest impact will be in advertising. The established method of selling “advertising slots” is tied to the limited flexibility of HTML code. Searchme’s interface is in Flash, which provides for slicker content, but also boundless opportunities for advertising much akin to banner ads. The article suggests that the ad slots of the future may be up for auction in a manner analogous to today’s cable TV commercial slots.

The likely development of visual search into the de facto search method (whether by Searchme or Google implementing the same ideas) will have benefits and drawbacks. Websites will aim to be more visually appealing and usable to attract clicks. On the other hand, users will have less control over how much advertising they see. One can imagine full-screen flash banners for the query “Super Bowl” costing advertisers $2M a pop.

The Searchme engine is slated to open to the public within a month. Regardless of its long-term success, the practical advances Searchme offers remind us that even Google is prone to obsolescence.

Original Article