Google’s search-within-search creates a stir

Google has silently released a new feature, called search-within-search, which is causing a stir with a number of well known online publishers and retailers.

These publishers and retailers are concerned with loosing customers through the feature to their competitors. Search-within-search allows users to refine their search results once they are within a destination site. This is undertaken through Google’s search technology rather than the onsite search and as a result, Google Adverts are displayed alongside the results. This means that even though the potential customer is on the destination site there is a high possibility they could leave through one of the adverts which could even be a competitor’s.