There are two key concepts of search according to Javed Panjwani, Business Development Executive, Wolfram Alpha.

There is the web of documents, which includes Google, and there is the web of data or semantic web, which includes Wolfram Alpha.

Current problems with search:
Accuracy
Relevancy
Insight
Convergence

Search engines create value through computation by curating data from credible sources and computing answers in real-time. "Computation personalizes information," said Panjwani.

How people search, what they search, and what they do with search is all evolving. There are evolving ways to search including via twitter, Facebook and Wolfram Alpha.

"Wolfram Alpha creates value through computing knowledge and underlying data," said Panjwani.

Bill Scott, Chief Operating & Commercial Officer, easelTV, said the three most important elements related to the future of search are data, permission and trust. These elements will deliver a relevant experience for users.

Data that is needed includes:
Context
Behavior
Location
Community
Social network
Social trends
Preferences
Multi-channel identity
Metadata

"We must deliver demonstrable value to the consumer in order to win their trust," said Scott.

Anne Kennedy, SES Advisory Board, Founding partner and CMO, Joblr.com, said the future of search is visual.

With visual search people get information 28 percent faster than from reading text. Ten billion YouTube videos were watched in August 2009, compared to 9 billion searches being conducted.

The future of search is moving towards visual search and mobile. Users want visual search.
 

Mike Sachoff & WebProNews Reporter/Anchor Abby Johnson Contributed To This Report.