• The Economist, Friday, July 13, 2007 11:15 AM

Big Search may belong to Google, future competition will come from vertical search providers. For example, GlobalSpec.com, a search-engine for engineers, has already established itself as the best way to find information about anything related to engineering. "They own that market," says Charlene Li of Forrester Research. Indeed, GlobalSpec has some 3.5 million registered users, adding them at a rate of 20,000 per week.

Vertical search sites have plusses: Results should be better targeted than what you might get from Google. These sites also attract specific audiences, which allows for better targeting for advertisers. Health-related search is another area where vertical providers have a leg up on Google-and it's a particularly lucrative sector, too, as online ad budgets of big pharma and healthcare is expected to hit $1.4 billion next year.

Still, most consumers are in the habit of using a general search engine for health-related topics. A study from the nonprofit research group the Pew Internet & American Life Project says that just 27% of consumers went to a medical site to look up health-related information. Says Susannah Fox of Pew: "Dr Google is the de facto second opinion in this country." Verticals are counting on habits to change.

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