www.searchhound.com

Search @Searchhound.com

Searchhound.com is a direct marketer that delivers targeted messages to its members. In case you are looking for something right from how cold it is in Tennessee today, to the dating information from Idaho, the Searchhound will sniff it out for you! Searchhound.com is basically a search engine that retrieves information from different sites, especially Yahoo. On this site you can search for whatever information you require, category wise.

However, the page layout is a little cluttered and the design does not have anything creative to offer. On the right hand side of the home page you will find a number of search boxes, each for a different category. There are separate search sections for "stock", "dating", "home and garden" and weather. For instance if you want to look up the stock details of Microsoft Corporation, type in "msft" and you will get a detailed stock report about Microsoft. On the Searchhound getting a perfect date is as simple as typing in your zip code and clicking search. It is even possible to get information regarding home and garden in any specific area. You can also get information regarding the daily weather in any area of the country, by clicking on the search bar in the weather section.

On the left side of the home page are updates on "news", "entertainment", "sports", "money" and "shopping". There are links from each of these section that will take you to the full-news section. There is a special section on the top of the page for featured updates. The search box at the top of the page will help you do keyword search. There are thumbnail links on the page to lead you to the hot featured links. There is also provision on the home page to download the personalized search hound toolbar. There are featured advertisements and promos that are links to top services. The site is fuelled from the revenue generated partly from these contextual ads and partly from the services offered.

Though done in a user-friendly manner, the appeal of the site could be improved with a better design and layout. Done in white blue and peach, the home page does look a little drab. The color scheme and lay out do not go well with the theme of the site. There is not much information available regarding the site as such. More sections and a little color could be added to make the site more attractive.

Nishana Nazimuddin

Hi-Tech Editorial Division