Query substitution analyzer is the first one in the new series of analyzers demonstrating mistakes in the functioning of search engines. The words chosen for queries are correct, existing, meaningful words, but as they are rather infrequent, the search engines often don't take the challenge of finding them. Instead, they offer the searcher an output based on some other query which can more or less resemble the original one, but, as it would seem, is asked more often.

As a result, the query is not answered. What's more, the searcher gets mildly insulted, for some search engines spice their wrong results by a prompt remark, like: 'We have corrected the misprint', presuming the searcher does not know the correct spelling of the word he is looking for.

The analyzer calculates the percentage of wrong search results (not containing any form of the original query). Latin transliteration is counted as a correct result whenever it is possible.

Two additional parameters counted are: 1) the percentage of automatical query substitution (the search engine actually deals with the query as if it were a misprint which is not the case); 2) the percentage of wrong suggests, like: 'you were probably looking for...'. Suggests are a less rude form of interference with the searcher's wishes. Still, when someone suspects that your search for 'dyery' was probably made under the spell of insanity and your real purpose was to find a 'diary', it is bound to drive you nuts.

Far it be from us to claim that all query corrections and suggests are a natural evil. There are many cases when they really serve their purpose (as you can see in our Typo Resistance Analyzer). But the search developers have to be extremely careful, while applying such strong means, for their misuse might harm the search engine's image.