SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Yahoo recently rolled out Search Direct, which — similar to Google Instant — delivers answers and direct access to websites before a query is complete.
The beta version of Search Direct was rolled out in the U.S. on March 23, and according to reports, while Google Instant focuses on delivering full results pages as users type, Search Direct offers a small group of select results that go “beyond a list of blue links,” Yahoo said.
“We are redefining the search process and prominently displaying direct answers where search decisions are being made,” Shashi Seth, senior vice president of Yahoo Search and Marketplaces, said in its announcement. “Search Direct is evidence of Yahoo continuing to lead innovation in search, enabling people to take action faster, find what is most important, and sample what is possible with the next stage of search technology.”
Among Search Direct’s features is “trending searches,” which displays top search trends in the search box right once a curser hits it and is updated every 10 minutes with the most popular search trends.