University experts to improve online searches

Experts from the University’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science have been given more than £9,300 by the firm to make it easier for browsers to find reviews of products online.

A proposal for the project was submitted to the 2013 Yahoo! Labs Faculty Research and Engagement Program, where it was picked for funding.

If implemented, the software would provide internet users with opinions and reviews of products they were searching for.

It would recognise when people were using search terms like “review” and, on the search results page, display quotes and scores from popular and top-ranked webpages above the links, cutting down the amount of back-and-forth navigation required to view a range of opinions on a product.

The proposal outlines how this software could be embedded in a popular search engine like Yahoo!.

Dr Georgios Paltoglou, senior lecturer with the University of Wolverhampton’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, said: “Recent studies suggest a large number of users search online for reviews and opinions of products and services before they commit to purchasing them.

“This project aims to make things easier for users by providing them with some initial signals and indications of how the requested entity is being discussed on the web.  
 
“This information can be placed at the top of the result page, helping users conduct their market analysis more effectively and efficiently.”

ENDS

For more information please contact Chris Jones in the Media Relations Office on 01902 322736

Date Issued: Thursday 10 October 2013