Alright, everyone starting threads about Google doing away with backlinks and making "major" changes to their algorithms can stop worrying. Top list of reasons why the changes will not be mainstream: 1. Have you ever went to Google and thought, "I know exactly what I'm looking for, and I know which page it's going to be on." No, you haven't. This is why "personalizing" search results isn't going to be a popular venue unless some massive rearranging is done. Sure, some website such as Wikipedia might be good to give more weight, but they appear at the top of search results anyways. I do not have a need for personalizing my search results, and neither do you. 2. Think backlinks are too exploited? Think about how bad weighting search results based on how others rate a website will be exploited. Imagine a network of 10,000 fake users claiming they like a website and adding it to their favorites. If Google allows this data in their algorithms, they are shooting themselves in the foot. 3. There is not going to be a better metric than backlinks for the foreseeable future. Time spent on a webpage can be exploited. Traffic can be faked. Bookmarks faked. Even if backlinks can be built, they can't be built from true authoritive websites using illegitimate methods and not without having good content. They are the best metric available, and this is why Google uses them. 4. Lastly, nothing is perfect. No one should expect Google to weed out every bad search result, because that's impossible. Even with the best metric in the world, there will always be a way around it. Google isn't trying to create perfection, they are looking for ways to cut down on spam and exploits for their already solid system. Now ask yourself; how do you feel about the changes now?
Great post. I agree with you 100%. Everyone is all worried about personalization, but it is unlikely that personalization will affect rankings.
lol yea i see that rooms full of people sitting behind there desks making your site there favorite (just like adsence clickers).... for a price of course laterz malcolm
Even that wouldn't be necessary. A simple website could be setup where users could make commissions of each favorite in seconds flat. Something to do in your spare time; making money while you're bored. Exactly why backlinks are here to stay.
I agree that backlinks are here to stay, at least for the time being. But clearly Google is going to continue to tweak their algorithm to make the search results more useful to the user. Personalization doesn't mean that everything that came before is out the window. It just means that Google looks at additional factors to come up with the most relevant search results for a particular user. That may be based on what the person has searched before, what language the person is searching in, where the person is searching from, etc... Will they always be right? Of course not. But if the search results are more relevant in a significant percentage of cases, it is an improvement. I can think of many types of changes that Google could make that would help make my own search results more relevant. In the end, most of the changes relate to understanding the content of web pages better. That means pushing the sites with weak content way down in the search results. That helps everyone except those people who throw up poor content just to attract users long enough to get them to click on PPC or affiliate links. I, for one, will not mourn their loss.
Changes will be made, but effects will be over time. So there definitely won't be any drastic changes : ))
Deff agree. The current system of ranking sites you like - while logged in is a great idea FOR THE USER. I doubt that google would ever use that information to change the true SERPS. UNLESS, they are preparing some sort of new technology which can make sure all the rankings are legit. Even if that is the case, you will get similar effect occuring, such as selling links on forums such as DP!
I am worried since last couple of months cause we saw a major glitch that de-ranked lots of useful and relevant sites and placed up there non-relevant sites + spam blogs + mfa's with no content at all, just ads. This is a major concern for me cause it seems Google is losing it. And the usual yadda about how webmasters shouldn't rely on Google for their income etc etc that is just bull, cause Google himself always provided encouragement to worldwide webmasters to get a life of it (Adsense Success Stories anyone?) and guidelines on how to do it properly (Google Webmaster Guidelines anyone?). Those who followed Adsense Success Stories and Google Webmaster Guidelines got re-ranked and felt betrayed. This is a major concern cause when someone plays for the rules and get stabbed from behind by the same guy that told him to follow this and you'll be fine, the result is not good. Its not acceptable that following simple Google Webmaster Guidelines can produce a penalization for "over optimization". Its not acceptable. Period. Spammers and blackhatters should be penalized. Not the guys that follow Google guidelines. Ask all to the webmasters that got de-ranked (-50) last 2 months what have they done wrong and they will tell you: nothing. But still they got de-ranked while following Google Guidelines. This is not acceptable and will become more and more dangerous since lots of those re-ranked webmasters are turning blackhatters themselves.
I read an article before, comparing the future of the internet to be similar to what Twitter is like right now - everything is instantly posted, heavily community oriented, and search will be based on weeding through 'posts'. I really hope personal search doesn't make it. If so, I think most of us are screwed. Especially those who are starting new websites. Only the big companies and authority sites will do well because they already have brand awareness.
Hello.... Look... for a company thats so RICH with the smartest minds from around the globe why havent they made my search so that i dont have to click links? I mean.... why cant i just ask my computer a question without typing anything and it return the results i asked for? is it to much to ask? Same thing goes for the Auto industry..... why doesnt my car fly yet using magnetic propulsion? laterz malcolm
Aslong as you have a decent site with quality content and backlinks from reputable sites your site will be fine, whether Google changes it's ranking system or not!
I couldn't agree with you any more. People who are linked to and ranking highly have earned their stripes. They deserve to be on top whether or not the content is the best simply because they worked their hardest to be there. And for the most part, people who are linked to do have good content some way or another. Unless they get all their links via DoFollow blogs that is.
I think Google will get better at gauging human perception of "importance". While they will not do away with off-page factors, Google will start paying more attention to user data such as click through ratio, back button searches, length of visit, related searches, voting, bookmarks, tagging and even WikiSearch. Then they might add another dimension and do like Ask.com with a rhetorical search scheme. Either way, on-page factors will be making a comeback in the near future.
Well, I think many will change but SEO I don't know,...All I can say is try to improve your knowledge because we don't know what's in the future.
Obviously there's a clear cut manipulation in their ranking system. I mean sites that really deserve it doesn't actually get to be on the top of search results.
Last couple of months lots of webmasters noticed this (algo) manipulation and are talking about it, blogging it and asking questions at Google forums. Yet at DP the usual yadda about SEO and keep building links...