# Presentation: 806421

## Choosing a Search Engine

- Bob Keating
- Search Program Manager
- April 27, 2005

## Search Engine Types

**Enterprise Search - **searches content within an organization
- Application Service Providers
- Search Appliances
**Web Search – **searches web-based content
- Free and Low-Cost Options
- Syndicated Indexes

## Enterprise Search

- Examples: Convera, Verity, InQuira
- Assumes users are within the enterprise
- Search is often an integrated feature
- Tools for organizing information that is not stored on Web pages
- Different standard of relevance than Web Search
- Popularity is a key factor in Web Search
- Keyword matching and semantic analysis are key factors in Enterprise Search
- Enterprise is metadata dependent, Web search ignores most meta tags

## Enterprise Search

- Pros
-  Tools for organizing enterprise information
-  Good solution if you have needs beyond site search
- Cons
- Made require a lot of editorial tweaks if used as site search for citizens
- Expensive site search solution

## Search ASP

- Examples: Atomz, Mondosoft, Innerprise,
- Crawls a website, hosts the index and search engine
- Managed, on-demand service
- Nothing to download, install or maintain
- Customization of search results pages
- Control over indexing frequency and scope
- Services generally limited to small sites

## Search Appliances

- All-in-one, plug-and-play hardware and software search solution
- Control over indexing and administration
- Becoming increasingly affordable
- E.g. $3,000 to index up to 100K documents
- Examples: Google and Thunderstone
- Good, robust solution for agencies of all sizes who don’t want to spend time on search

## Free/Low-Cost Web Search

- Examples: Free versions of Google and MSN
- Cut and paste search box
- Your site or the whole web
- Very limited customization
- No control over indexing
- Not an appropriate solution for government agencies

## Syndicated Web Search

- Model used by major web portals: AOL, A9, etc.
- Results return XML file in response to an HTTP GET
- Requires agency to supply front-end presentation layer
- Little control over crawling, indexing and relevancy
- Cost per query or page view
- Inexpensive, but can be costly if you don’t have a built front-end

## What about FirstGov Search?

- Currently FirstGov Search....
- Is an Enterprise search engine that is expected to perform like a Web search engine
- Was pitched as an ASP via its affiliate program, but is only capable of functioning like a free web search
- Result: lots of unhappy people

## Lessons Learned

**FirstGov Search duplicates work in the private sector**
- Designed to operate in a manner comparable to Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.
- FirstGov is attempting to provide similar services with significantly fewer technical resources and staff
**Search technology is enterprise, not Web-based**
**Relevancy and quality not on par with commercial services**
- Because FirstGov does not crawl the entire Web, it cannot determine link popularity
**Unable to provide differentiating services that make FirstGov Search especially useful to citizens **

## The Immediate Solution

**Step 1: Improve Search Functionality**
- Implement standard search best practices
- Perform baseline usability tests
- May 12, 2005 - launch new search features and design
**Step 2: Agency Outreach**
- Clear up misconceptions
- Understand search requirements, expectations
- Plan for future services to agencies

## New Search Model

- Follow proven **Syndicated Web Search** model deployed at the most popular consumer portals (AOL, A9, etc.)
- “Subscribe” to government-wide index produced by a major commercial search engine producer
- Expanded search offerings
- Citizen access to over 100 million govt web pages from federal, state and local governments
- Also include images and news
- Vendor hosts search front-end for rendering and publishing search engine results pages in FirstGov look and feel (transparent to citizen)

## Benefits

- Eliminates costs and complexity of running our own search infrastructure
- Cost savings applied to providing citizens with expanded coverage, resources and functionality that makes it easier to find government information
- Expand current offerings more than 10 fold
- Add comprehensive Image and News search
- Allow search team to develop differentiating front-end features that add value to the core index (e.g, spotlight content, vertical searches, shortcuts, etc.)

## New Affiliate Program

**1. Procurement Guidance**
- Provide contract vehicle for search
- Agencies may acquire search from FirstGov vendor tailored to their requirements
- Allows agencies to easily get a customized solution
- Search Team offers agencies help with finding an optimal search solution

## New Affiliate Program

**2. Feature Syndication**
- Value-added features built for FirstGov (e.g. “best bets”) will be available for free to agencies
**3. Outreach**
- Share best practices and industry knowledge
- Build communities of interest around Search
- Provide professional guidance to government agencies

## Contact Info

**Susan Fariss, Search Analyst**
- _[Susan.Fariss@gsa.](mailto:Susan.Fariss@gsa.gov)__[gov](mailto:Susan.Fariss@gsa.gov)_
- 202-219-1437
**Bob Keating, Program Manager**
- _[Robert.Keating@gsa.](mailto:Robert.Keating@gsa.gov)__[gov](mailto:Robert.Keating@gsa.gov)_
- 202-208-1047