Convera study claims professionals aren't getting search results they seek

Professionals have a strange relationship with search engines, according to a survey conducted by search technology provider Vienna, VA-based Convera.

The research found that professionals use search engines for work and even find them to be an overall aid, but would not rely on search engines the way a surgeon would rely on a life-saving medical tool.

The study found that only 21 percent of professionals feel that their search query is always understood. Just one in 10 professionals always finds exactly what he or she is looking for on the first attempt.

About 70 percent admit getting sidetracked during the search process and end up on Web sites they didn't expect to visit and are not relevant to their work.

When searches do not return precise information, more than half of professionals believe the information they're seeking exists, but they do not have the skills to find it, the study said.

One third of professionals will make decisions without all the facts they need after a series of search attempts fails to help them.

Nearly 90 percent of professionals believe that vertical search engines would offer more relevant content than popular Internet search engines. Eighty-five percent of the respondents believe they would offer access to content not indexed by popular search engines.