In a move to lure back Web surfers away from the dominant Google, Yahoo has retooled its Internet search engine to make it more helpful and engaging.

Yahoo’s new search engine features include a drop-down menu that contains suggested and related information in an attept to offer wider and deeper exploration of search topics.

Other new functions include the provision of more links on the main result page to music, videos, and photos, which includes pictures from Yahoo’s Flickr photo-sharing site.

Yahoo executive Tim Mayer, in a posting on the company blog, said “new search enhancements are designed to lend extra assistance to users only when they ask for it, which he said should distinguish Yahoo search from other services that offer help automatically.”

However, PC Magazine executive editor Jeremy Kaplan in Market Watch described the enhancements as something of a “me too” move since many of Yahoo’s new features are already implemented in Google, and Microsoft introduced them just last week.

Jim Lanzone, who runs Ask.com for InterActiveCorp, told Associated Press that “Yahoo is simply trying to catch up to the rest of the pack instead of taking the next technological leap ahead in search.”

While the Yahoo search engine continues to rank second, it has been steadily loosing ground. It seems that the company needs to re-establish its reputation as an Internet innovator.

Kaplan said that the success for Yahoo will be based on “getting the brand out and transforming the way people search.”

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 at 7:37 pm under Google, Microsoft, Technology.

Read more entries by Ruben Francia.
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