Tonight’s debate is an especially interesting one.  Rather than pair up two Alts in the same Vertical, it was suggested (I forget by whom) to compare and contrast two different approaches to general search - Tabbed metasearch represented by Boris from Zuula - a Top 100 Alt since Day 1 (and always the last!) and “Tagged” or the Tag Cloud feature from Search Engine of the Year winner Quintura represented by Yakov.


1. Do you build your own index or do you use another index? 
How important is that distinction?

 One of Zuula’s key advantages is that it does not force its users to trust either a new web index or a proprietary way of combining the results from numerous different search engines.  Instead, Zuula allows its users to continue relying on their favorite search engines, while also gaining quick access to results from other search engines, when they’re needed.  So, no Zuula does not have its own index.  Instead, it displays both the organic search results and, when available, the advertising of other search engines.  Results are displayed in a consistent manner across the different ngines, and there is always a clear distinction between “organic” results and advertising.

We at Quintura do build our own web index. As compared to a traditional web index, the Quintura web index is based on contextual relationships between words and phrases. We believe that any search engine has to have its own web index in order to create a substantial shareholder value and make it sustainable.

2.  Zuula uses “Tabbed” metasearch, and Quintura has a “Tagged” cloud - do you feel that these each have their merits, and if so, what are they?

 Both approaches definitely have their merits.  Indeed, they are complementary in many ways.  Let me explain.  For many people, Zuula (or a more traditional search engine) is what they’ll want to use for most of their searching.  For the majority of searches, the goal is to get the one or two links that you’re looking for, and to get them fast.  Zuula is great for those kinds of searches.

Quintura is complementary to Zuula and other services, then, in the sense that it is useful in those cases where the user isn’t quite sure how to find the information they’re looking for — where the user doesn’t quite know what keywords or search terms to use.  For those situations, Quintura may help the user identify concepts related to their initial search terms.  Using the concepts uncovered by Quintura, the user may eventually get to the information they’re searching for — using Quintura, or perhaps going back to Zuula and using it.

To be completely honest, though, I’d have to admit that Zuula and Quintura are competitive in addition to being complementary.  They are competitive in the sense that they both are useful for difficult searches.  Zuula makes difficult searches easier by facilitating access to results from many different search engines.  Quintura makes difficult searches easier by helping its users find related concepts with which to improve and narrow their searches.   Yet I wouldn’t overemphasize this competitive aspect of the two services.  It exists, but it shouldn’t overshadow the extent to which they can be used as complements to one another.

Today’s search engines require people to know how to query and then to mechanically sort through information to find what they want (or not). Quintura turns searching into finding. Quintura offers users a unique and simplified experience. With a single word, Quintura helps users refine their search, exposing all kinds of information in a single view. With a Quintura tag cloud users control their search process. Even if they don’t know what they are looking for - Quintura helps people explore new possibilities and find information.

3. For Boris - how is Zuula different from other similar metasearch engines? And for Yakov, how does Quintura differ from other tag clouds?

 Zuula is a very different metasearch engine.  True, like all metasearch engines, Zuula makes it possible to view results derived from multiple source search engines.  Most metasearch engines, however, combine search results from multiple search engines, often intermingling organic results and advertising. 

Zuula, in contrast, keeps the results from different engines separate from one another.  It also clearly separates organic results and advertising.  Zuula adopts this approach because its goal is to make it possible for its users to rely on their preferred search engines for most of their searching, while also having quick access to results from other search engines when they’re needed.

With a Quintura tag cloud, users can get to the information they need more dynamically and intuitively. They can get to deeper links quickly, not only getting to the information they seek - but to the hidden information they didn’t even know could be found. Quintura allows users to control the search process rather than the search process or technology controlling the user.

4. Will an “Alternative” search engine ever reach 5% of search market share?  If so, will it be you?

 I’m certain that an “Alternative” search engine will one day leap the 5% market share hurdle.  I’m not optimistic, however, that this will take place very soon.  I think the major search engines have developed formidable leadership in many different areas critical for search success.  This leadership makes it difficult for an “alt” to gain noticeable market share in the near future.

Will Zuula achieve a 5% share of the search market?  All of us on the Zuula team certainly hope so, and we’re working hard to make it happen.  But we’re also modest enough to recognize that it’s likely to be a long time until we even come remotely near that target.

It should reach a much larger market share. Our investors Mangrove Capital Partners once said “The next Google will come out of Eastern Europe” and we share that vision with them.

5. What is your relationship, if any, with other search engines?
How do feel about partnerships?

 We’ve been very fortunate at Zuula in regard to our relationships with other search engines.  I believe this is due to some very conscious decisions we made when we launched Zuula. The first decision was to make Zuula freely accessible to any user, and to always keep our users in mind as we develop Zuula further.

The second decision was to never, ever, try to make even a cent of revenue from Zuula as we continue to evolve the site’s initial features and functionality.

The third decision was to show deep respect for our source search engines by fully maintaining the integrity of their search results and their advertising.  Not surprisingly, after some initial apprehension in the community about our goals and policies, I think it became clear that we can be a valuable partner and an ideal showcase for the impressive variety the search industry has to offer. So we have been very open to partnerships, and this will undoubtedly continue to be the case going forward.

We currently make use of web indexes of other search engines such as Yahoo! and Yandex as well as using our own index on Quintura Kidsand Quintura for site search. For example, we use an index of Blinkx video search engine to find videos since Blinkx currently has one of the largest web indexes of videos. In fact, Quintura could be implemented as a visualization layer on top of any search index. That is why we are open to any mutually beneficial partnership. However, our goal is to build a standalone business and beat Google by providing a superior search experience, offering a new site search model for web publishers, and delivering much better search results to users.

Thank you, Boris and Yakov.  Readers, if you have a question for Zuula or Quintura, please leave a comment and we’ll ask them to check back as time allows.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 11:43 pm and is filed under Debates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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