I’d noticed something different about the NY Times search over the last few weeks, but just realized today that it’s because they’re split testing a new interface. I have to say I really like it.
Google launched a new hosted site search solution on June 11. Though aimed mostly at SMBs, it wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of large enterprises give Google’s Site Search a serious look.
NYTimes.com is splitting traffic, so to see the beta search you’re going to need to click the links below. In addition to the differences mentioned below, the algorithm is tuned differently in the new search. There is a different result set returned, possibly with less emphasis on AP stories, and I notice a lot more photos in the new results.
Old Search:
http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?query=afghanistan&st=fromcse
- No multimedia included in results. Toggle result to match on “Closest Match”, “Newest First” or “Oldest first”
- Date range radio buttons are difficult to discern and include a “custom date range” function
- Complicated search filters and link to advanced search
- Numbered results set
- Separate blog results included in a right hand box
- Refine results by NY Times section (Arts, Books, Business, etc). Pagination suggests an overwhelming results set.
(Click to Enlarge)
(Click to Enlarge)
