Vertical search continues to be a hot industry topic. Contrary to popular belief, in the B2B industrial sector, “Not everyone uses Google”.

General search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN are used extensively in the research phase for an industrial project or product search. Studies show, however, that during the supplier selection phase industrial buyers turn to vertical search engines that allow them to quickly compare and contrast suppliers that can meet their needs.

In a recent 2008 report by Outsell, Inc. “Vertical Search: Market Size, Share & Forecast” they make a strong case for the continued growth of vertical search engines.

Outsell, Inc. is a market research and consulting company that focuses on the publishing and information industry. Here’s what this 2008 report had to say about how vertical search meets the needs of B2B Internet users:

“Vertical search remains a welcome contrast to having to use [general search] keyword trial and error and scrolling through cluttered, unorganized search engine results pages to see if what they need is buried in the list somewhere.”

In the industrial sector the top vertical engines (based on number of daily user sessions) are ThomasNet, GlobalSpec, Business.com and Macrae’s Blue Book.

One of my favorite vertical engines is ThomasNet. As a 100+ year old former publisher of the printed Thomas Register they have maintained their position during the transition to the electronic world as the #1 brand in industrial search.

ThomasNet.com is a vertical destination site where buyers in companies of all sizes come find what they need, link to supplier websites, view online catalogs, download CAD drawings and more. They connect industrial buyers and sellers enabling them to do business more effectively.

Search results can be refined using criteria like ISO Certification, small or women-owned business as well as zip code and geographic location. These are time-saving features not available on the major search engines.

Here’s what Outsell’s report has to say about ThomasNet:

“ThomasNet demonstrates best practices…surrounding and cross-linking vertical search results with news, community and standards, CAD drawings, and other related content. This is the use of vertical search as part of the “plumbing” [of an online search] not the final destination.”

As major search engines focus on broadening their search results with additional content such as videos, etc. the growth of vertical search engines will continue, especially in the B2B industrial sector where users need uncluttered search results that can be easily refined to meet their specific needs.