Jupiter: Strong Demand for Health Search Engines

JupiterResearch has found that 71 percent of online consumers use search engines to find health-related information, but only 16 percent find the information they are looking for. Highlighted in a new research report, "Health Search: Assessing Consumers' Demand for Health Vertical Search Engines," are recommended strategies for general and specialized search engines to attract and retain a loyal user base.

"Despite strong demand for health information, most online consumers' search experiences are negative," said Monique Levy, JupiterResearch Senior Analyst and author of the report. "The combination of high demand and poor experience means there is a significant opportunity for better engines and products in the market."

Sixty percent of online consumers use general search engines with Google leading the pack by a significant margin. Additionally, 42 percent of online consumers already use various Health Search Engines such as WebMD, AOL Health and MSN Health & Fitness.
"Search engines must work toward striking the right balance between search efficiency, quality of results and proprietary feature sets," said David Schatsky, President of JupiterKagan. "Online consumers are interested in features that improve and facilitate their searches as long as they don't add an unnecessary layer of complexity."

www.jupiterresearch.com