Ask.com revamps site

Search engine Ask.com has launched a new version of its site that includes increased search result relevance, a new user interface and speed enhancements.

“On average it takes a searcher three to four clicks to get answer they're looking for,” said Scott Garell, president of Ask.com. “We're all busy people. So our goal is to get that answer in one click.”

Site download speeds will be 30% faster than this time last year, and search results will incorporate results from both professional and user-generated sites such as breaking news, blogs, images, videos and music.

Ask is also launching a feature called “Ask Q & A,” which will come up in search results on the right side of the screen. “This is a resource for the user to explore a lot more about a particular topic through other questions people are asking about it,” Garell said. 

Ask.com has also launched television advertisements in 12 small markets to test adaptation of the new site. The budget is undisclosed.

Ask also recently updated its Ask for Kids search engine and acquired Dictionary.com. Now, when users look up a word on that site, a related search feed from Ask.com is provided in a side column. Garell said this has garnered around 800,000 new searches per day. This initiative fits into Ask's strategy to build loyalty in teens and students.

Ask.com will be unrolling more search technology innovations in the coming months, Garell said.