The Problem:
If you read Estimated Future with any regularity, you know that I’m a huge fan of Google. That said, the search results I see are always generated by Google.
The Business
I would like to search the Internet how I search Lexis or Westlaw. I would like to use terms like, “X within 10 words of Y.” Something like the boolean NEAR operator.
Doableness
First clone Google, then add this one feature.
Um, maybe not. This idea is basically undoable. However…
My Thoughts
People who understand search well realize Google, for all its glory, is missing many “features” that should be available in a search engine. The features are missing so Google remains simple. I don’t blame them. It’s a very intelligent strategy that has obviously worked better than most other business strategies in the history of the world. That said, the way you beat Google is not with a more simple search engine, but with a more complicated one. If you put more of the algorithm back in the hands of the searcher, each search might take ever so slightly longer, but the results produced could be far more relevant.