Google rolls out search enhancements

Google's new 'Wonder Wheel - showing search results for 'Kiwi'.

Kiwi Google users will be the first to get their hands on some new advanced search tools.

The internet search behemoth starts rolling out its enhanced 'Search Options' on Google.co.nz which will let web users drill down into search results.

Searching within specified time frames or wading into the depths of Google's index will be possible with the new tools.

The changes were announced overnight at the company's annual Searchology conference at its Mountain View, California headquarters.

The search innovations include viewing only reviews and forums; video-only searches which show video thumbnails as part of the results; date restricts which can limit searchers to the past day, week or year; and Timeline, a histogram-style representation of results by year and month.

A quirky addition is 'Wonder Wheel' which, while sounding suspiciously like a gameshow, is actually an interactive graphic representation - think tag cloud - of related searches.

Google also plans to introduce 'Google Squared,' which presents results spreadsheet-style.

The approach pulls data from other Web sites and assembles them into packages that could give people less reason to click away from Google. If that happens, Google might face even more complaints about its penchant for making money off content created by other companies and individuals.

- NZ HERALD STAFF/AP