Search engine Ask.com has revealed a dramatic change in direction, announcing it is to focus on a narrower market consisting predominantly of married women.The company, which was founded in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen, also stated it is to get rid of around 40 employees, representing eight per cent of its workforce, the Associated Press reports.
In pursuing this target market, Ask.com is turning away from direct competition with rivals such as Google and returning to its roots. Under its previous appellation Ask Jeeves, the search engine was initially known as a provider of answers to questions concerning such topics as hobbies, children's homework, health and recipes.
Commenting on the firm's new direction, Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li stated: "It's a smart move. I still think Ask has great technology, but it's just really hard to fight against Google."
Ms Li went on to say that the women set to be targeted by Ask will be pleased to a have search engine which focuses on their interests.
She said: "It's not so much that these women have simple questions. It's just that they are so busy that they need fast answers."
Meanwhile, Jim Safka, who became Ask's chief executive two months ago, added that the shift in emphasis will bring renewed energy to the search engine.
He commented: "Everyone at Ask is excited about our clear focus and the trajectory-changing results it will deliver."
