Vertical search
What is Vertical Search?
Vertical search - also referred to as specialty or topical search - is a term used to describe niche or specialty search engines that focus on a single industry vertical, type of content - or a specific segment of the overall search.
For this reason, the list of vertical search engines can get oddly specific and virtually impossible to cover in one place, but a few notable examples include:
- In-platform eCommerce product search engines, like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy
- Vacation rental engines, like Airbnb and HomeAway
- Travel search engines, like Skyscanner
- Employment search engines, like Indeed and Glassdoor
- Local search engines, like Yelp
Unlike general search engines - like Google, for example - that aim to index and search through the entire Web before showing you relevant results, vertical search engines will instead focus on a limited data set.
In other words, vertical search engines only search a specific part of the Web; the user basically takes a vertical plunge into a single, distinct topic.
That said, even though Google is a general-purpose search engine, it also features a network of vertical search tools. They still rely on Google’s core search functions - but are filtered differently based on user requirements and restricted to a certain category.
Some examples of vertical searches incorporated in Google include:
- Google Images
- Google Videos
- Google News
- Google Maps
- Google Books
- Google Flights
- Google Finance
Why is vertical search important?
Vertical search is beneficial for users who are searching for a niche topic and looking for specific information because it narrows down the results. The standard horizontal search engines - such as Google - would return results that are too broad, so most of the information provided wouldn’t likely be relevant to the specific query.
Granted, the fact that Google throws a bit of everything into the search results is a good thing - but that can be overwhelming for someone looking for specific information or niche topics.
That’s where vertical search comes in.
In that sense, it is safe to conclude that vertical search engines have developed “naturally” as a way to address and cater to unique user needs. Furthermore, the growing popularity of “topical” search suggests that users sometimes want more filtered and specific search results, which isn’t something that Google’s universal search can provide.
The limited scope of vertical search engines means that users can expect smaller, more targeted search results that are the most relevant to their search query.
And at the same time, vertical search benefits businesses, too.
It works as a less competitive path to a highly targeted audience, allowing you to widen your net and reach different user bases, with an increased chance of that audience already being near or at the “ready-to-convert” stage of the funnel.
FAQ
What is the difference between vertical and horizontal search?
Vertical search refers to “topical” or “specialty” searching - meaning the actual search is focused on a specific section of the Web, providing a smaller and more targeted list of search results. On the other hand, there’s horizontal search - which is general in the sense that it searches through the entire Web, covering a range of different topics and media types displayed in “mixed” search results.
Does Google use a vertical search?
Google’s default search is actually a prime example of a horizontal search - because it searches the entire Web horizontally, covering different topics and content formats. However, Google also incorporates vertical search functions - like Maps, News, Images, Flights, and Books.
Is site search on your site vertical search?
Yes, on-site search technically works as a vertical search engine because your search is limited to a single domain.
What is VSO?
“VSO” is short for Vertical Search Optimization - or, in other words, optimizing your content for a vertical search engine. It differs from “traditional” SEO - which is focused on ranking in Google’s universal SERPs. The intent of VSO is to achieve a higher ranking on YouTube, Amazon, eBay, and other vertical search engines.