Seeing beyond the obvious at Google

The Boston Globe ^ | 6/23/2003 | Michelle Johnson

[Radix]

How many times a day do you hit google.com? And what do you do once you get there? Type in a couple of keywords and hit the search button, right? Well, if that's the extent of your interaction with Google, you're missing out on some useful tools and cool features.

[Radix]

This is an interesting article, I learned from it.

[Lazamataz]

Oodles of Googles.

[newgeezer]

If you like Google, you'll love Dave's Quick Search Deskbar.*

[Ff--150]

bttt

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Google is evil I tell you pure evil!!!!!!!!


///sniff...

[Maceman]

Well, whoda thunk it? The Boston Globe finally printed something useful.

[Nick Thimmesch]

m

[stainlessbanner]

great tag line

[Maceman]

m

m?

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[Wright is right!]

It IS interesting. But I still disagree with the premise under which Gargle operates - that the most relevant page to your search terms is THE MOST POPULAR - i.e., the page with the most links to it. To my mind, that has absolutely NO bearing on its relevance.

This has actually done great harm to my business, which I spent a great deal of time optimizing so it would show up at the top of all of the major search engines. This is because I made it highly relevant to people searching for equipment I sell in the telephone industry.

And then Gargle tweaked its algorithm to increase the weighting for popularity. And my traffic has plummetted. With Google, you have to be the most popular, with tons of other places linking to you - which is hard in the business end of things, since everyone in my field is a COMPETITOR who is about as likely to link to me as X-42(i) is to emulate Helen Keller.

Of course, Google perhaps had a profit motive in mind - you can still BUY your way to the top with Google AdWords, but the days of getting there on your own relevant merits are over.

Michael

[baseballmom]

Thanks. I love useful articles like this.

[dead]

Bump. I had no idea about that phone number trick.

[radiohead]

this won't make you feel better, but you (and anyone interested in the science behind google) might be interested in:

The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine, by Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page at:

http://www7.scu.edu.au/programme/fullpapers/1921/com1921.htm

[MineralMan]

"And then Gargle tweaked its algorithm to increase the weighting for popularity. And my traffic has plummetted. With Google, you have to be the most popular, with tons of other places linking to you - which is hard in the business end of things, since everyone in my field is a COMPETITOR who is about as likely to link to me as X-42(i) is to emulate Helen Keller."

In my field, too, but....I maintain a very large link list to my competitors' sites, and get reciprocation from them, as well. Competition doesn't scare me. I offer excellent merchandise at highly-competitive prices. That, plus fast, efficient order-filling, and I get to keep my customers and attract new ones.

The result? My site is number 2 on three different Google keyword searches that are the most appropriate for the site. Number 3 on Yahoo's new search engine. I don't care if folks visit my competitors' sites. They'll be back.

[Van Jenerette]

...thanks!

[Mike Darancette]

Internet Explorer is a VIRUS!!!

[w_over_w]

I typed "Ff--150" in Google Search to find out where the heck you've been, but all I got was information on Ford Trucks!

~Kidding~ ;^)

How have you been? I've missed our daily fellowships with WhatNot, but we're still God's best! Hope all is well . . .

<><

[snopercod]

Did you learn why google.com no longer indexes FreeRepublic? Something happened - either at google or FreeRepublic - during the first week of February, 2002.

Before that date, a search for "Jim Robinson site:www.freerepublic.com would return tens of thousands of hits. After that date, the same search would return only hundreds.

My pet theory was that it was due the WP/LAT lawsuit, but I really don't know.

[newgeezer]

Internet Explorer is a VIRUS!!!

Please explain.

(Netscape is owned by AO(-hel)L, and I've yet to be convinced to pay for a second- or third-rate browser.)