Google is testing new approaches to Internet searching with alternative search site.

Do you want to know what the Google engineers are up to when they are not working on the Google search engine? Well, some of them are apparently experimenting with a new, experimental, search site called Searchmash.

The site has no Google logo and appears to be a new search engine. It is not, though. It is definitely powered and owned by Google.

According to Search Engine Watch the reason the site is not branded as Google, is to help Google gather more objective data about user response to new interfaces.

So far there is nothing revolutionary new about the site. Here are some lines from the about file:

• “You don’t have to have your cursor in the search box to start typing your query. “(All right, that will cut a few seconds from an otherwise busy day!)
• “Click the green URL of a web result to open a menu of options for viewing the URL or refining your query. “(Among the alternatives: Open in new window and Open cashed copy)
• “You can see the top three image results next to your web results.” (That might be useful)
• “Click the number next to a result and drag it around to reorder. This is just for fun right now, but we have some ideas for how to use this. ” (We are looking forward to seeing those ideas implemented. As it is now, it is not that a very helpful feature, although it is fun to see Pandia ranking as number 1 for all those competitive phrases!)
• “Click the ‘more results’ bar at the bottom of the page (or hit the space bar) to load more results and automatically scroll down to view them.” (This is similar to what A9 is doing. The new results are added to the present web page. They are not opened in a new page)

Like Google Labs, this is a site to keep an eye on to see what Google is planning. A word of warning, though: Google is limiting the use of this site and it might be unavailable from time to time.

See also:
SearchMash, a New Google Search Site (Google Operating System)
Google Registers Search Mashup Domains (Google Blogoscoped)
What’s A SearchMash.com From Google?; Don’t Forget Trovetopia (Resourceshelf)
Google’s New SearchMash Test Site (Search Engine Watch)