Ironic, part of the title to this article is called 'Search Engine Optimization is Dead!' yet there is an ad spot for 'Search Engine Optimization Kit'. : ) 
 
Other than, interesting post.

Peter, I like your optimistic outlook on this tool. Sounds like it has some good potential to function well as bridge between not so techie folks who want an answer and businesses that want to get found by both high and tech and low tech thinkers.  
 
My tongue is bleeding as I resist the urge to say, I have a hunch they might be onto something...oops, slipped out :)  
 
Thanks for the post. I'm gonna carve out some time to investigate it later today.  

Looks fantastic and intriguing. I think your blog post has delivered millions to the Hunch servers... 
They're wheezing a bit. 
Thanks for this post.

I think the next big advances in search are still going to rely on natural language processing algorithms, both for query understanding and document extraction. 
 
At this point, it seems most likely to come out of Google, simply because they have access to the world's largest training corpus and the raw computing power necessary to develop a high-precision/high-recall statistical NLP document retriever. 
 
It will be a big shift when Google is looking at a more semantic view of the contents of a web page (and I don't mean Semantic Web markup, I mean a deeper understanding of the raw text) and combining that with PageRank in favor of their current keyword-based models.

You've got to be kidding! I was on that stupid Hunch site for over 20 minutes answering their stupid questions with no notice of how long it was going to go on! I left! I guess that just shows how stupid I am for going on as long as I did.

I'm not sure I agree with the part about if Hunch does not get as big as Google. 
 
SEO (which is actually G.O.) is a numbers game. What you're purporting is that each individual of several million sites could be indexed as itself on Google and indexed inside Hunch inside Google. 
 
I find it difficult to get my head around that one, and even more difficult to see Google "having that".

The only problem with the DEO model is that it's not common man friendly it seems. Let's face it, Google has been as successful as it is because it's so ridiculously simple to use.  
 
They're going to have a hard time selling casual Internet users on this. But if there ends up being a correlation between spending habits online and use of DEO, then I think it will be a little bit more worth it.  
 
So then maybe it won't get big at all but it might be more laser targeted - something I think we're all looking for.

The questions are fascinating! Unfortunately, after too much time spent answering them, I was told the system was too busy and to try again later. Hah!

Whatever we as business owners can do to be "seen" is helpful. I appreciate your input! Our Company appreciates your input and help in any way! Judy F. McWethy,Owner A Biscuit In A Basket

Interestingly enough, I see strong similarities between Hunch and StumbleUpon. As a long-time avid SU user, I'm really excited to play with Hunch. In fact, I would love to see SU partner with or buy out Hunch. They would make quite a team! 
 
Seeking input: 
 
What do you think Google's response to the changing concept of "search" will look like?

Yeah! Very nice article!!!

@Dan. It is kind of ironic. I didn't pick the CTA. :-) 
 
@Lisa. Let us know what you think after you've answered and built some questions.  
 
@Richard. We probably sent hundreds of visitors, and I bet they've attracted atleast 10s of 1,000s of visitors today, but I don't think I caused the wheezing. I did see the slowness, though. It's definitely still a little buggy. I'm sure they'll figure it out.  
 
@Nicolas. I don't think Google really wants to go through the effort of extracting meaning from Millions of web pages. I also think that's an "innovative dillemma" type solution the problem of turning search engines into find engines. I believe Hunch's approach is an Innovator's Solution. Instead of trying to be everything on day one, they're trying to solve the problem of building a smarter web, one question at a time. If anything, I think a big engine will buy this or create a clone. I'd bet on Yahoo, though.  
 
@Paul. Are you stupid for not realizing the value of the site or stupid for spending your time trying?  
 
@Arthur. Haven't you ever done a search and ended up at Yahoo Answers, Wikipedia, or some other site that let's users create content? A fairly common approach to internet marketing is to publish content on these kinds of sites with links back to your site. Then, building some links to the page on this user generated site to get that one to rank in Google. Hunch will be one of these sites. 
 
@Jeff. Good point that regular users may never start at Hunch to do a search. But, think about slightly more advanced users who are really looking to find a solution to a problem that they are willing to spend $ to fix. That's very helpful when a prospect is farther along in the buying process. A lot more helpful than adwords.  
 
@Janet. I saw a lot of slowness too.  
 
@Sean. I don't really see the similarities between stumbleupon and Hunch. I think that people using stumbleupon are truly just looking to pass the time, whereas people using Hunch (at this stage of the game) are really just looking to see what's going on there. I guess it's logical that some people will spend their time on hunch just to pass the time. But, I see much more utility and purpose for Hunch compared to SU.  

@peter 
 
The similarity I see is in the concept of an algorithm gaining sophisticated knowledge about one's likes and dislikes through a very simple system. 
 
I was first attracted to StumbleUpon after learning that the algorithm would improve over time and come to "know" me. I can absolutely testify that it has done so. 
 
The truth is that I don't even Stumble very often. I do spend a lot of time thumbs-upping things I come across naturally. With almost 3000 favorites on my StumbleUpon account, every time I do click the Stumble button, I almost always receive a fascinating result. 
 
I'd like to see how well Hunch can do the same.

Gotta love another proclamation that SEO is dead.  
 
Hunch and other options, both past and present, give people more choices when attempting to solve their "problem". 
 
As the web continues to evolve, search, and other options to discover content will too.  
 
Hunch represents another option to traditional search, not a replacement.

Very curious about Hunch. Definitely have to do some research. Thanks for sharing.

Peter 
 
I guess my challenge lie in the semantics then. You punt Hunch as an engine, when in fact it is merely an aggregator like all the others we all use.  
With HUnch as an aggregator, I see serious optimization opportunities in the future.

@Sean. Thanks for explaining. I get it now. I didn't before. I haven't invested that much time in SU. 
 
@Pat. Agreed. It's another option.  
 
@Arthur. Great point. It is certainly more of an aggregator, than an index of the web. What makes it kinda like a search engine is the fact that answers have URLs that point to other sites on the web. In this way, it certainly helps people find stuff on the web, like a search engine.  
 
I've been playing around some more for those that are interested in testing it.  
 
I created a topic called "What HubSpot Product Should I use? 
 
It's not perfect yet. Feel free to contribute to it if you know something about the HubSpot products.

Beautiful article and the information you have provided about new search engine Hunch, it is excellent. Thanks :)

Here's what I did: 
 
Answered the questions and wondered why. 
 
Clicked on the director/directors/ link and answered some more questions. 
 
Turned up James Cameron. Not recognising the name I wanted to see a list of films he made so I did what I always do: 
 
Selected James Cameron, Right clicked Search Google. Because I knew for certain that the top results would include James Cameron's entry in imdb which would have to be the most comprehensive unbiased movie site I know. 
 
The ease of accessing Google and the knowledge that I'd find what I want led me away.  
 
So give it another go. I'm in the market for a new 24" LCD monitor. Type "computer monitor" and select "What computer monitor should I buy?" 
 
Gave me a price range to choose. But was that in Aust. dollars? Assumed it wasn't and immediately learnt about a handful on monitors. Are they available in Australia? Who is the authority that gave me this list - what is their credibility? What other options do I have? Can I get it in my home town today?  
 
These are all questions that are answered immediately in Google search results alone. 
 
Google search gives me a long list of options I know I can get not far from here (in Australian dollars) right off the bat. 
 
Does this make Hunch useless. Probably not. What is it useful for? Who knows - but I sure as hell don't need another sign up account to find out. I'll wait until someone like your good selves lets me know what you found out!

THanks for sharing your experience, Craig.  
 
You are right:  
- Hunch isn't ready for regular users yet. There isn't enough authoritative knowledge. There aren't enough contributors yet.  
- Google has certain categories cornered pretty well like actors and shopping for popular consumer items.  
 
I bet Hunch will get better at this these things. But, I also think it'll make it's mark FIRST with:  
- more complex questions.  
- b2b buying guide type stuff.  
- later stage decision making process.  
 
Time will tell, though.  
 
I am somewhat addicted to contributing to Hunch. So, I'm sure I'll write about it on our more in the future, when it gets better.

Its important to noted that Hunch is not a search engine, it is a decision engine. It's designed to help users make more informed decisions based on a very simple series of inputs. 
 
I agree with Peter in saying that in its current state, Hunch has limited usefulness. The strength is that through user contribution it will eventually become a powerful tool. 
 
This is one advantage that it has over resources like Google. I for one am a believer that user contribution in combination with algorithms is the future of the web.

It is a good start to be used as a search engine for question and answer.In the near future,like the other search engines,i guess it will play a major role at online marketing.

Wow, I have never heard of Hutch before now. Must do some more reading. 
 
Great post!