Semantic Based Search - Efficient Semantic Search

Semantic Based Search
Too Much to Expect From?

The Internet, search engines, SEO specialists and the average owners of web sites and blogs are expecting to see the advent of new quality of searching - with the help of semantic search standards.

Perhaps any big search engine, and lots of smaller ones, have claimed to start working in this direction. But is there much beyond these claims?

Recently I got a message from a buddy to check new semantic search engine - www.Powerset.com This engine is supposed to be focusing on semantic based search and this is seen from one of the options that says 'Unlock Meaning'

Well, interesting, let's check.

I must say that I am very impatient about seeing the advent of the new quality of searching, semantic searching including. That is why I am VERY picky about projects that make people think they deliver the new level of understanding what truly stands behind the human language. Due to this I am experienced in giving semantic search engine "tough" keywords.

One of the tough keywords for semantic engines of the current level is "link exchange script" - I know it from my experience, because "link" is quite a basic notion for the whole net, "exchange" can be about money or traffic or Forex trading "script" is about programming. As you can see - a pretty tough keyword with multiple options for different niches of our life. But this is what a good semantic search should do - get a clear picture of all possible meanings' variations and choose the best.

After submitting "link exchange script" to Powerset.com I saw that the talks about unlocking meaning are premature at the moment. Check it yourself - I quote top 10 results:

1. Oracle bone script - about Chinese characters
2. LINK - about Econometric Forecasting Association and money
3. Eastern Nagari script - about script in Medieval India
4. Foreign Exchange Market
5. Telephone exchange
6. Recurring characters in The Legend of Zelda series
7. Seal script
8. Arabic alphabet
9. Script - about the word in general
10. Gurmukhi script

Sorry guys and gals, but if you submit the same keywords "link exchange script" to Google or Yahoo, you will see that they (without claiming they have made too much about semantic search, they say they just started to work with meaning) show A LOT MORE RELEVANT results.

So, if the already existing search engines are much better about showing the relevant results, maybe the idea to crack language meaning is the wrong direction for search engines?

Or, maybe, this should be solved via other strategies, ways, ideas, etc.

P.S. Unfortunately cannot find exact quote URL, but Google admitted that within the nearest 5 years it's too early to talk about professional cracking of the meaning of human language and, hence, about full scope semantic based search.