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Wrestling for the IE7 Search Box
Wrestling for the IE7 Search Box
by Robert Morrison
of http://www.oyster-web.co.uk
Last updated: 12 Sep 2007
The power of search means efficient browsing for the surfer, targeted Traffic for the websites and effective advertising for the search engines.
The introduction of the Google toolbar on December 11, 2000 [1], meant users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer could search Google just as easily as typing in the URL for Google itself.
Among the new features in Microsoft’s seventh major iteration [2] of Internet Explorer is a search box appearing as a standard feature beside the address bar. Users enter the Search Term and it is submitted by the browser to a search engine.
Users familiar with IE’s rivals Firefox and Opera may be familiar with a search box as an integrated feature of their Internet browsing. The current version of Opera (9.02) comes [3] with Google as the default search box and Google itself displays a Link to a Firefox download on the ‘about Google’ page which features Google as the default engine. Firefox and Opera both allow the user to change the Search Engine that is used, and Opera even allows users to right-click a search box on any website, and apply it as their search engine.
All three browsers allow the user to store a list of available search engines, and the search box itself is a drop-down box from which one of the list of engines can be selected. Users can entry a search term, then select whether they want to query Google, Yahoo, Windows Live, Wikipedia, etc., etc., for the search term. The implications are that the user can quickly switch between search engines and search types. A web-search with Google, a product comparison with Froogle, or a reference look-up with WikiPedia can be quickly accomplished with the onboard search box.
Will it cause users to switch between the major search engines? Will it increase the use of search? Will it increase the use of specialised forms of searching such as product comparison and encyclopaedia style searches?
Certainly Google and Yahoo have seized the opportunity to release customised versions of IE ‘optimised’ for their respective search engines. These downloads are essentially modified versions of IE with the default search and homepage set to Yahoo or Google.
Google and Yahoo expressed concerns to the New York Times[4] about Microsoft setting, limiting or changing users settings, suggesting that they consider the move threatening to their market share and fair competition. With over 7% of people using Microsoft’s latest browser, and a user base of over 50% of all users that may be convinced to upgrade[5]. This could mean a lot of users could find a search box that is pointed at Microsoft’s search engine an integrated part of their new browser. Microsoft’s reply [5] cited simplification of the setup process as their reasoning for setting the search box to Windows Live by default. Ultimately, of course, it will be user behaviour that dictates how this will play out. Some may choose not to use Live search with IE7, some may try new engines as they set up the new feature. It is unlikely to be a revolution in the terms of search engine market share, but may precipitate an easier user experience and an overall growth in search engine traffic.
[1]http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/static.py?page=version_info.html
[2]http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/default.mspx
[3]http://www.opera.com/download/
[4]http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/01/technology/google_microsoft/index.htm
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