Every single client or business associate of mine knows that I follow the search engine wars as religiously as those who follow professional sports or Oprah.
Today’s new contender to Google’s throne is Cuil (pronounced “cool”), a start-up that differentiates itself with a big web index, unique relevance algorithm, unique results display and privacy. Even more impressive are the credentials of its founders who are respected authorities in the search field.
Does Cuil stand a chance?
Sadly, not at all.
Microsoft, Yahoo and dozens of start-up search engines have tried and failed. Cuil too is playing the better technology card. Search engine wars are branding wars and not technology ones.
Unless Google does something really, really unwise such as going out of the search business or letting its quality drop to a terrible state, the public will continue to use its web search feature for many years to come.
For Cuil to stand a chance, it has to be sold to Internet users under a concept that this public will find important enough to buy into. The privacy angle so far has picked my interest as a user and it’s a concept that could be leverage against Google.
In today’s world where everyone is so concerned about their privacy, a search engine that does not log IP information, this concept may cause users to switch (although it turns out that search privacy is not really a big deal to Internet users).
It’s all good for me to preach on why Cuil will not the company that will steal Google’s lunch. So, let’s get to the heart of the matter and suggest a strategy to ensure success.
The company that will take on Google will first have to take care of number two, number three, number four and all the other contenders. Google and its current competitors seem to look and perform the same. A serious contender will have to be an alternative to Google search (Mahalo is trying its luck but is in a better position than most contenders).
What’s an alternative to traditional Google web search? An alternative strong enough to sway some Internet users to the contender’s camp? That’s the idea that must be found and pitted against Google.
Finding that idea is what Cuil should be focused on instead of telling us that it has a better team (Microsoft can afford to have the best talent and probably did hire it and still nothing has happened!) and that its technology is superior.
The search war is a marketing war. The best idea sold will win. The ball is in Cuil’s marketing department court.
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