Vertical Search Works Puts Targeted Search in Users' Pockets with Launch of VS4Food

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertical Search Works™ (www.verticalsearchworks.com, VSW), a leading provider of semantic search and advertising solutions, has announced that it has launched its VS4Food™ search app for mobile phones running on the Android™ operating system. VS4Food™ is a mobile, vertical search engine for all things food related.  Users enter a search query and generate results specific to food, food products, recipes, restaurants and specialty food retailers.  Searches can be launched by voice activation or through the phone's touch screen or keyboard.

VS4Food™ is a powerful extension of VSW's semantic search and ad matching technologies to a mobile platform.  "As mobile becomes a more important part of the search landscape, it is our mission to provide the most relevant search experience to users regardless of the device they are on – computer, smart phone or tablet," said Colin Jeavons, President and CEO of Vertical Search Works.  According to a recent report from eMarketer, global mobile advertising spend is estimated to reach $1.2 billion in 2011, a 66 percent increase from 2010, and will top $4.4 billion by 2015.

VSW's semantic indexing technology organizes approximately 500,000 concepts and 2.5 million expressions into more than 80 distinct content verticals.  This technology allows VSW to serve the most relevant search results and highly targeted ads for advertisers and publishers in key content arenas. Following the launch of VS4Food™, VSW anticipates rolling out mobile VS4 apps across all of its verticals—entertainment, home and garden, weddings and family – and expanding into other leading smart phone operating systems.

The VS4Food app can be viewed or downloaded at the following website:  https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vs4food or via the Android Market app on your Android-powered smart phone.

About Vertical Search Works™:

Vertical Search Works' mission is to provide better, more accurate search to people seeking information, knowledge, products or services within their area of interest.  VSW leverages proprietary semantic search technology which understands user intent better than traditional keyword-based search.  Users can experience VSW Search™, a targeted vertical search engine, on the Web sites of major online content producers in the Food, Home & Garden, Weddings, Family and Entertainment industries.  The company also offers VSW FeatureLink™, which allows marketers to feature their products with an image and a 140-character call to action next to relevant content from VSW's online publishing partners.  Marketers pay a fixed price cost-per-click and generate additional sales without the complexity of keyword bidding.  VSW FeatureLink™ is complementary to all paid search and advertising models currently used by its publishers.

Vertical Search Works was formed from the February 2010 merger of Convera Corporation, a leading developer of search technology for the U.S. intelligence community, and Firstlight ERA, a leader in advertising sales technology.  VSW is headquartered in New York.  For more information, visit www.verticalsearchworks.com.

SOURCE Vertical Search Works