By Ben Kuchera
August 27, 2008 - 10:29PM CT

Ask.com isn't the most popular search engine online—while getting solid numbers on such things is both difficult and expensive, the search engine metrics firms say that Ask.com gets anywhere from 1.5 to 5.0 percent of the search market any given month—but the company has a new strategy to add a few points to its share: going after kids.

AskKids.com has just been relaunched with a major overhaul, and in a time when parents want their kids to be comfortable online while also being surrounded by tales of a dangerous Internet, this is a smart move. The question is, how well does the new search engine serve the needs of children? The landing page is striking, and very inviting for young eyes. You can visit the Schoolhouse, look up Movies, Games, Videos, or Images.

The old Ask Kids had a generic, but bright design; this is begging for clicks to click and explore. Even better is the ability to draw on the page itself with a pencil, pen, or highlighter, and you can also add a few virtual "stickers" to give the look of a well-worn Trapper Keeper. "Studies prove that visual learning improves children's comprehension, retention, critical thinking, and organization," the official information explains. "Additionally, children are better at "mousing" than typing.

Ask Kids was built with this in mind, and organizes search results in a graphically vivid three-panel display that includes SmartAnswers and related images, current events, videos and encyclopedia results." Clicking on "Movies," for example, brings up a screen with the ability, on the left hand side, to limit or expand your search, and the service also helpfully provides the names of some well-known children's actors and singers to get you started.