JupiterResearch has released a report on health search engines. Now, I know what you’re thinking, but these figures actually seem fairly reasonable. The company asserts that many people “use search engines to find health-related information,” but only a fraction of them “find the information they are looking for.”
JupiterResearch recently endured quite a bit of scrutiny over some wildly optimistic claims concerning corporate blogging. The company hasn’t thrown in the towel just yet, though; it is still attempting to provide “unbiased research, analysis and advice, backed by proprietary data.”
And so, the company put out a press release with that assertion in plain sight. Titled “JupiterResearch Finds Strong Consumer Demand and Market Opportunity for Health Search Engines.” That strong market is composed of 71 percent of “online consumers,” according to the paper. Yet only 16 percent are successful in their searches.
Monique Levy, the author of the report and a JupiterResearch senior analyst, commented on the findings. “Despite strong demand for health information, most online consumers’ search experiences are negative,” she said. “The combination of high demand and poor experience means there is a significant opportunity for better engines and products in the market.”
The president of JupiterKagan also weighed in. “Search engines must work toward striking the right balance between search efficiency, quality of results and proprietary feature sets,” David Schatsky said. “Online consumers are interested in features that improve and facilitate their searches as long as they don’t add an unnecessary layer of complexity.”
Looks like JupiterResearch got it right this time.
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Doug is a staff writer for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest eBusiness news.
