New search engine to shake-up ad industry

A new search engine that allows businesses to check where their ads – and those of their competitors – are running could change they way ad agencies work, Online Media Daily reports.

The Yureekah website allows users to conduct a search of all the display ads currently running for a particular business or product category in a given domain.

Significantly, the search engine delivers results in real time, allowing businesses and advertisers to easily access an up-the-minute snapshot of the competitive landscape, a big improvement on the usual end of week or month results.

At present Yureekah, which is still in early testing, covers display ads, whether in jpeg, flash or animation format, but does not search for video or text advertising. It is also limited in its coverage to the US, Britain, India and the United Arab Emirates, but the site’s founders say there are plans to extend beyond those countries.

It also remains unclear exactly how Yureekah will make money, although there is some suggestion it will sell deluxe products that combine the search function with other media planning and tracking tools.