About Us

Vertical Semantic Web is THE way of the Future.

The search evolution is upon us, internet search is becoming increasingly vertical despite the omnipresence of horizontal keyword search engines. Where five years ago users would type “cheap flight to Miami” or “arthritis remedy” into a search engine, they now go to their preferred vertical content sites to find relevant information.

Today, semantic technology is doing a better job than traditional search platforms at not only delivering results, but also matching relevant advertisements to publisher content online and on mobile devices. Vertical Search Works is a true pioneer in semantic search technology.

As a leader in the industry we are at the forefront of the semantic web evolution; our patented technology powers our vertical semantic search engine, VSW Search™, as well as our semantic ad matching platform, VSW FeatureLink™.

Our Mission:

Vertical Search Works’ (VSW) mission is to provide more valuable, more accurate search and ad targeting to people seeking information, knowledge, products and/or services within their area of interest. To do so, VSW creates and leverages proprietary semantic search technology which understands user intent better than traditional keyword-based search so that users, publishers, and marketers get better results.

Our History:

Vertical Search Works was formed from the February 2010 merger of Convera Corporation, a leading developer of search technology for the U.S. intelligence community, and Firstlight ERA, a leader in advertising sales technology. VSW is headquartered in New York.

Our Results:

• 2.8 billion+ ad impressions generated each month
• 100 million+ unique users reached via our Vertical Content Network
• 700 million+ page views across our Vertical Content Network
• 22,000 active VSW FeatureLink ads
• 171 premium publishers featured in our Vertical Content Network

Our Technology:

Proprietary Semantic Technology – Semantic search understands user intent better than traditional keyword-based search. For example, semantic search will understand whether a search for “java” relates to a computer programming language, an island location or a coffee drink. Semantic algorithms allow for better matching of advertisements to the surrounding content because it understands concepts and context more like the human mind.

Extensive Semantic Knowledge Resources – VSW leverages a semantic network covering 500,000+ concepts and 2.5+ MM expressions.

Mobile Platform – VSW’s semantic technology can be deployed today across 1 billion PCs and across the estimated 3-5 billion smart phones and tablets that are expected to ship worldwide over the next 3 years. VSW recently launched its first mobile product, VS4 Food™, a vertical search app that brings semantic search for food-related queries to Android compatible smart phones.

Our Products:

VSW Search™ is a targeted vertical search engine designed and built for publishers, which keeps users onsite and generates incremental page views and revenue for the publisher. VSW Search™ engines have been built to complement our vertical ad network and include: VS4 Food™, VS4 HomeandGarden™, VS4 Entertainment™, VS4 Weddings™, VS4 Family™ and VS4 Sports™.

VSW FeatureLink™ allows marketers to feature their products with a video teaser image or image and a 140-character call-to-action (CTA) next to relevant content from VSW’s online publishing partners. Marketers pay a fixed price cost-per-click and generate additional sales without the complexity of keyword bidding. For publishers, VSW FeatureLink™ is complementary to all paid search and advertising models.

VSW’s semantic ad matching platform and ad unit design adheres to IAB standards.

Some of Our Publishers: