Yahoo joins the instant search crowd with Search Direct

Yahoo has become the latest search engine to offer users an 'instant' results option.

Following in the footsteps of Google and Bing, the company said it would be launching a beta service known as Search Direct. The service will suggest search results as users type in their query.

In addition to instant search results, Search Direct will also display a list of the day's most popular search results, which will be updated every 10 minutes. The top searches will also display multimedia content related to the most popular topics.

The Search Direct service will also offer possible answers to questions. Information such as weather forecasts and financial results will be suggested as users type in their queries.

Shashi Seth, senior vice president for Yahoo search and marketplaces, said that the beta service is an attempt to provide users with direct answers, rather than a vague set of search results.

"We are redefining the search process and prominently displaying direct answers where search decisions are being made," said Seth.

"Search Direct is evidence of Yahoo continuing to lead innovation in search, enabling people to take action faster, find what is most important and sample what is possible with the next stage of search technology."

Last year, Google announced its Google Instant platform. Earlier this month, Microsoft outlined similar plans for its Bing search engine.

Yahoo said that Search Direct will be launching first as a beta service in the US. An international rollout is planned for later this year.