UPDATE: Since writing this post a watchful and attentive reader (Michael of CloudSherpas.com) has pointed out that PicLens has been re-branded and launched as Cool Iris. I find myself using Cool Iris almost exclusively for image searches via Google images or Yahoo photos. Extremely useful and worth everyone’s time.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Right? Well, along that same line of thought several visual search engines have been developed. Here is a quick rundown:
- Kartoo: This is the best visual search engine for determining relationships of sites based on your search term. They group similar listings in folders and show the interconnected web that we weave….presumably through a link popularity algorithm.
- Quintura: This site is visual only in the sense that related search terms are displayed in a large column on the left hand side.
- Searchme: Coverflow for your search results. ‘Nuff said.
Overall, I prefer Searchme as a visual search engine. The interface is clean and the results are comparable to Google. We all love eye candy and Searchme delivers in this area.
One thing to note about visual search engines would be their SEO/SEM implications. If visual search catches on (I wouldn’t be surprised to see this feature in Gng sometime soon) than not only will your current SEO/SEM efforts contribute to your success but the visual layout will also be an important factor. An interesting mix of SEO and user interface design efforts will be required to rocket you to the top and……more importantly……capture those eyeballs with a click.
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