Vertical search is not prevalently utilized by users of the big-three search engines (Google, Yahoo! and MSN). 35% of search engine users do not use vertical search, and 25% do not recall if they have clicked a result after having used vertical search (60% combined), according to iProspect.

A result presented after an “image search” is clicked by 26% of users (the most frequently clicked vertical search category). The second most commonly clicked vertical search category is “news search” at 17%, followed by “video search” at just 10%.

Note: Vertical search, part of a larger subgrouping known as “specialized” search, is a relatively new tier in the Internet search industry consisting of search engines that focus on specific businesses. Most of the time, people are looking for something very specific related to their businesses. That’s where vertical search sites come in. Vertical search engines deliver to businesses what the big sites can’t without the use of complex keyword combinations: relevant and essential content versus an exhaustive return of information.