Google has announced the Google personalized search experience. If any of you are keeping tabs out there…universal search, personal search, social search, real time search…this is why search engine optimization can be very difficult. Imagine trying to keep up with Google. I’m still not 100% sold on Google’s “do no evil” message.
I’ve been working on a client project recently and I’ve notices some VERY lame attempts by Google to lure away searching individuals with rather unsavory methods. The same methods that Google frowns on when advertising under competitive brand terms in Ad Words [to a very liberal extent]. Take a test drive for yourself. Type in “circle” for giggles. Take a look at the paid search results on the left side. Do you or do you not see a sponsored ad by Google asking if you are having trouble understanding the word ‘circle’.
So, what does this have to do with search results and all of the up coming iterations of said results? At some point search engine results need to become better at indexing and serving GOOD content. I’ve seen thousands of times now…very poor results based on excellent search terms. I think it could speak to the measure of fairness when dealing with the world’s biggest search engine.
Go on and Google pay per click advertising and tell me you don’t see Google’s ad right up at the top. They are just playing fair right…? Right?