Google has a Froogle rethink

Google is rebranding "Froogle" as "Google Product Search" and simplifying the interface to match the main search site.

Froogle was launched in late 2002 when it was trendy for portals to have vertical sites dedicated to specific industries or areas. But the site didn't grow fast, and Google removed the link to the site from its main page last year.

Now, Google Product Search will still be a site for searching shopping listings only but the most relevant listings in Product Search will also appear in the main search site in a "one-box" area above the organic results, which are the most relevant unpaid search listings. The one-box area snags results from other specialised Google search sites, such as Google News.

Google Product Search will also boost awareness of Google Checkout online payment service by allowing searchers to set the results to display only items from merchants that offer a Google Checkout option.

The ill-named Froogle was a problem from the start. Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search product and user experience, said in an interview: "I don't think we understood the complications with rolling out another brand. While it was a cute and clever name, it had issues around copyright and trademark, as well as internationalisation… The pun (to be 'frugal') isn't obvious."

Greg Sterling, principal of consultancy Sterling Market Intelligence, said: "This rebranding is long overdue. Nobody really understood what Froogle was. And it reflects a transition of the company from one that had a whimsical attitude about its products to one that's more serious about itself and its products."

Chris Sherman, president of consultancy Searchwise, said: "Froogle has been around so long. They didn't have a consistent product strategy or direction then. I don't think it was failing but it clearly wasn't gaining the traction other shopping search sites were."

Rather than encourage people to go to specific sites for specialised search, which is what vertical sites do, Google wants them to go to Google.com first and find the best results from its own specialised searches there. And most people do start their searches, for everything from cars to houses to jobs, on a major search site, experts say. Recent statistics from online traffic measurement company Hitwise found search engines are the primary way that internet users navigate to key industry categories.

Elinor Mills writes for CNET News.com