SES San Jose Coverage: Where are the shortcuts for Multilingual Search Users?

[Nacho]

From LIVE Coverage of Search Engine Strategies San Jose 2004 (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?threadid=863) on the "Search Detours: Beyond Top 10", the mayor search engines (Yahoo!, Google, AOL and ASK Jeeves) presented how when a user types in a search query where they have common answers in ENGLISH, they will display usefull results. IMO, that's great value to all users, however when the question was asked:

Is this just just for English or is this avaliable for other Multilingual Search Users? For example is a user from the U.S. types in "mapas de san jose" [since most used "san jose maps" on their respective presentations]
The answers where the following:

AOL said that their branch AOL Latino is developing databases to add "program searches" for keeping the lead in the U.S. with the Hispanic market and the properties outside the U.S. are focusing on that as well. When I did the search for the example query (http://search.aol.com/aolcom/search?invocationType=topsearchbox.%2Faolcom%2Find ex.jsp&query=mapas+de+san+jose) mentioned in AOL (U.S.), I got no "program search" or "search shortcut" as others call it for Spanish.

Yahoo! went directly to talk about their International search properties do incorporate them, but did not answer for U.S. So . . . I tried (http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=mapas+de+san+jose&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t&cop=mss&tab=) it myself and :eek: it's not available.

ASK Jeeves followed Yahoo!'s path with their International divisions, but results (http://web.ask.com/web?q=mapas+de+san+jose&o=0&qsrc=0) are the same.

Google said that a lot of its International properties already did shortcuts and for example their image search already gives results from any languages. However, when doing the exact same test, no result (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=mapas+de+san+jose) as well.

So, it looks like multilingual search users get to be overlooked for now, but I'm sure we're on the priority list . . . COMING SOON :rolleyes:

[knorton]

Nacho,

Sorry I misunderstood your question during today's panel. I think I missed the "...user in the U.S. ..." part. Offering multilingual versions of our search shortcuts is something we're looking into. Since we prioritize our efforts based on consumer demand, you can see why we've focused on the international search properties since those are where the bulk of the multilingual queries originate. However, I think this is a good example of something we should look at worldwide.

Now we just need to figure out which San Jose you were referring to when you searched for "mapas de san jose" :)

Ken Norton
Yahoo! Search

[rustybrick]

Ken, thanks for your response. It makes sense to focus on language specific queries based on where the searcher is searching from. I am curious, how does Yahoo! or other engines take into account the growing spanish speaking market in the US. I walk around NYC and a good percentage of the ads on the walls, billboards, subways and buses are in spanish.

Do you expect these people to search at yahoo.mx? Are there plans for searches done at yahoo.com in a different language to be treated as they would at the .mx site? Is there a yahoo.mx? :)

[knorton]

We encourage Spanish-speaking U.S. users to visit our dedicated Spanish language search site at:

http://espanol.yahoo.com/

And Nacho, I'm happy to say we pass your shortcuts test as well:

http://espanol.search.yahoo.com/search/espanol?p=mapas+de+san+jose

Ken Norton
Yahoo! Search

[Nacho]

Ken,

Thank you so much for taking the time to clarify your answer here at SearchEngineWathch Forums. This community appreciates your time invested here.

Since we prioritize our efforts based on consumer demand, you can see why we've focused on the international search properties since those are where the bulk of the multilingual queries originate.
In my opinion, I think you need to see the multilingual user searching within the U.S. as a higher priority. Let me explain why.

Understanding the concept behind the "digital divide" between where (for example) you can see almost a mirror image of the 13% of total U.S. population similar to comparing the 13 million U.S Hispanic Internet users against 186 million (http://www.webmasterworld.com/red.cgi?f=78&d=6000&url=http://www.clickz.com/stats/big_picture/geographics/article.php/5911_151151) total U.S. users which is less than 7%. Yes, percentages are not alligned, but the potential it has to grow bigger when the base of U.S. Hispanic users going online grow and the total stays the same is when Yahoo! or any search engine needs to educate the user on search and the search engine marketers as well. It's like learning how to swim when your and adult . . . wrong timing. . . or it's like a .com going IPO after April 2000 . . . wrong timing. When these users develop a brand loyalty in search (and believe me when I say Hispanics are very loyal to their brands) who wants to take the lead in this search engine market segment by making it a priority. Can the story repeat itself reflecting back to when Google became A BRAND because it was the engine to pay the most attention to search when the other media companies where focusing on becoming a great portal? Hopefully you or any search engine representative will reflect upon this and change your priority about multilingual search within the U.S. being the right timing.

Barry (rustybrick),

Yahoo! promotes their division http://espanol.yahoo.com as the property for the U.S. Hispanic market and yahoo.mx is only for Mexico. Now, I have been told that although Y! would like them to go here because it is in Spanish, reality shows that U.S. Hispanic users hear the brand "Yahoo!" and "Yahoo.com" all over and not "espanol.yahoo.com", therefore the biggest volume of search for this market is actually in yahoo.com. I believe this is where Yahoo! needs to focus more.

[Nacho]

That's great Ken, now time to add the other short cuts: American Airlines 63 (http://espanol.search.yahoo.com/search/espanol?p=american+airlines+63&ei=UTF-8&n=10&fl=0&x=wrt&meta=all%3D1).

Saludos!