Yahoo Turns News Browsing Into Infinite Search

We know that Yahoo is integrating search with news, recently launching a news portal called the the Upshot, which uses search data to pick which stories to pursue. Today, Yahoo is integrating search into news content in yet another way—by suggesting search terms underneath news content on Yahoo News.

Called “Infinite Browse” internally at Yahoo, the new feature will include a box below Yahoo News articles that will suggest searches for specific terms. For example, news about Al Qaida will show links to searches for “Al-Qaida Camp” or “Al-Qaida Flags.” The idea is to allow readers to access related content they would search for without having to go to a separate search portal and type in the query.

The feature, which is only being tested for a limited group of users, apparently results in twice the amount of user engagement. An existing search feature “Trending Now” lists, which bring trending topics to your browsing experience on Yahoo sites, has been upgraded slightly with search. Now when you click on a Trending Topic, Yahoo will show you search results on Yahoo for the topic. Yahoo also are now suggesting newsworthy topics based on the type of Yahoo portal your are on (ie sports topics on Yahoo Sports.

Infinate Browsing and the search addition to Trending Topics are just additional examples of Yahoo pumping up search query volume through automated searches, like the company does with slideshows and other content. It’s designed to drive its search market share up.