The Google Moat is Leaking I have the utmost respect for Google, their standards, and the ability to keep webmasters honest and their market intrigued. However, it seems that with all of the focus on their algorithms, acquisitions, and accomplishments, that the castle is beginning to be breached by unworthy pages and results. Researching some competitive keyword terms and phrases show more than a trickle of "untitled documents" in high ranked spots. This has always been true in other engines, but come on, we simply expect more from Google, especially as their mulititude of variables in their secretive formulas are meant to deliver better, more relevant, and spam-free results. I know there are a million possible reasons for this, but once may be considered a fluke, twice a coincidence, but multiple times over several months is becoming a pattern. I also know that I will likely be flogged, flagged and possible feathered for my opinion on this, but I firmly believe Google needs to get back on track. Growth is necessary, diversification is desireable, but waning from the essence that made them the best, biggest and most respected cannot be allowed to fall to the wayside.
i found the the new msn search quite precise (not to mention they spider my sites about a dozen times more often than googlebot) wrmineo is right more and more things i search for return irrelevant results, most of the results seem to be blogs or mod_rewrit'ed dynamic sites, with adsense on just about everyone of them ...or maybe its just me, majority of google users dont realise the lenghts we SEO's go to get their clicks.
Maybe all is for the better, if people start moving to other search engines, Google will not be such a monopoly and we as webmasters won't have to struggle to get ranked at google and only google.
Well, this means.. this is 'the beggining of the end of Google?' If google isn't the best, what would probably be?
Here's one example: "webhosting help" brings up 18.9 million results in Google - #26 is an untitled page. The same search on MSN has 349K results with no such listings found in the top 100 to validate cornelius' point.
I think Google still does an awesome job and is still at the pack lead for most things - but, to stay there, they're going to have to put their results where their claims lay IMO ...
I just did four different searches in all three major SEs and I'd have to say I think Google and Yahoo had the best looking top ten overall. The searches were: SEO Forums SEO Services Maternity Clothes Craft Shows Google does tend to have Amazon in their top ten frequently when one does a product search. While Amazon may sell the stuff they are not specialist in many of the products and I often wonder at then really being top 10 relevant. For Maternity Clothes MSN had one obviously keyword jammed doorway page that redirected to a maternity clothes site. The sites that I'm involved with generally did better in MSN and Yahoo than in Google, but that doesn't say that Googles sites aren't relevant. For popular keywords there has to be a hell of a lot more than 10 relevant pages.
The obligatory "it's been a month or two since the last "Google is broken" thread so it must be time for another... How long have people been forecasting Google's demise? Why is it they keep getting richer, more powerful, and more successful? Oh yeah... because Google is broken and the other search engines are vastly superior... (I'm still wondering why compar is searching for maternity clothes...)
Well I could keep you guessing, but the answer is that Maternity Clothes is one of the keyword phrases I'm currently optimizing this client's site for.
With all due respect Minstrel, you seem to making inferences that are out of context to my comments. I am in no way forecasting the demise of Google, or inferring that other engines are superior. However, I am stating my opinion that Google needs to be cautious, to ensure their awesome service and product is not degradated and contradictory to the very standards that make them #1. Whether you're a web surfer, webmaster, or simply a researcher, when you see top results that are not relevant and to the standards setforth by Google is gives a negative impression IMO. I can appreciate your cynicism of the topic, but I'm in no way discounting the power, relevancy or staying power of Google - merely hoping that they remain loyal to their own initial mission of being the best by having the best standards with the ability to back them up as they've successfully done so far. The only demise that I can predict is my own, for making the statement and for standing behind my opinion.
wrmineo - I think its real easy to make a statement like Google will continue to need to watch the quality of results but what does that really mean? Do you think for a minute they don't already have teams of people doing just that? In fact they were recently hiring for similar positions here. This idea that Google is just two guys who are easily distracted by the latest aquisition is a bit naive. They are competing on a daily basis with Yahoo and MSN and they know exactly where they stand when it comes to relevancy. I sorta see Minstrels point (easy now SiteTutor) in that its easy to oversimplify it and there are always people saying things like "Google better watch it" or "They have to focus on such and such". Give real examples that are broad and all inclusive and its a debate but to point for ONE keyword phrase as a sign of losing relevancy and you are just 1 of a million posts.
I'd say Ask is providing some pretty good looking results at the moment. Some really interesting stuff going on over there... I'd also argue that for certian types of searches that Ask are providing more relevant results than the big G.
Although SE, you have to take market share into consideration. Google delivers signafigantly more traffic and therefore is targeted by spammers. Because Ask brings so little traffic (growing in the UK though ), there isn't as much theory on the make up of their algo and therefore isn't as open to manipulation. The best thing for Yahoos relevancy? Google stealing their market share. After that happened their relevancy improved signifigantly. Its a testament to Google that they deliver even 1 relevant result when you look at their market share.
yfs1 - very good points indeed, thanks. No, I hope I'm not so niave to think they don't have folks working on this, but this is not an overnight phenom - I've noticed it for several months. Nor did I think the statement was generic and without supporting text of why they need to watch out ... they need to stay on top of this issue to stay on top. Yes, that too will be construed as generic ... Nor did I say, or think, that it's just a few guys ... I stated they need to remain true to their core, while growing and diversifying. Another example in a complete different genre of keyword search: "power fasteners" has 1+ million results, #4 is untitled. There are more. I appreciate your comments and insight, and I'm grateful for the criticism and education of being more specific and misunderstood.
I disagree mate. I don't just target Google or Yahoo or MSN or Ask when I do SEO. I do what I believe will produce the best results for all the search engines. Anyone who concentrates all of their efforts on one engine is doind the wrong thing completly. When you do SEO, of course you think of Google, but you don't think... "If I make this change it will make Google results better. F**k Y and MSN" Do you?
wouldnt the "utitled document" pages being ranked just mean that google dosnt pay as much attention as we think to the title tag?