Google Search Experimentation
Google is synonymous with innovations. The latest innovation from it is aimed at customizing your search results, Search Experimentation.
Currently, it is in Beta stage; people can try it and furnish their opinions to Google. Also, you can participate in only one of these experiments at a time. The following are experiments available to try:
Alternate Views for Search Results: Using this, we can view the search results in other dimensions. This means, users can view the results as a timeline, map, etc.
Keyword Suggestions: Here, Google itself suggests keywords for us as we type the search string in. The suggestions also show the expected number of search results.
Keyboard Shortcuts: There are a number of keyboard shortcuts in store, just as in Gmail. We can use them to ease our search.
Left-hand Search Navigation: Using this, we can do subsequent searches on an already searched phrase. The search goes deeper to give you results on any modifications or additions of keywords. For instance, if you search for software, you can search deeper for office software, system software, image editing software, etc., using this feature.
Right-hand Contextual Search Navigation: This is the same as above. But the navigation is placed on the right-hand side.
That was an introduction to the search experiments. You can find more information regarding them in the dedicated Google site or by Googling the term “Search Experimentation.”
Google is working on another experiment in search. This one is new, and not yet available to test as the others mentioned above. It can have a potential effect on the SEO and PageRank of websites. Its effect can be so vast that most of the top-drawer bloggers, high PR sites, etc., may be screwed by it.
This experiment helps users decide which of the results they liked, and which they didn’t; users can move the results they like to the top of the page, and remove the ones they don’t like, thereby customizing the search for each keyword. For this, Google provides two buttons labeled “Like it?” (an upward arrow) and “Don’t like it?” (a cross) beside each of the search results.
You need a Google account and should be logged in to use this feature. The first button moves the particular search result to the top of the page and labels it with an asterisk. If you click “Don’t like it?” the result is automatically removed from the results page and won’t appear in the future searches for the particular keyword.
Another cool feature is that you can add your preferred sites to the search results. At the bottom of each SERP, there is a link with a plus sign labeled “Know of a better web page?” Using this you can add any website, you think should be included in the search results for the keyword. This site will appear whenever you search that keyword.
The effect of this new experiment can be very substantial, as Google can use the user statistics of a website to rank it higher or lower. This means: if you have a site filled with a lot of advertisement, obscuring the content the user is searching for, then she may remove your site from the results. If more users dislike your site, Google may feel that your site is substandard.
Clearly, this experiment can have a huge effect on the search results, PageRank, SEO, etc. But it needs a lot more refinement before it can be made public; some important factors not to be overlooked are below.
What if spammers take advantage of this feature? If Google decides to rank a particular site higher by looking at the user statistics of the site, the spammers can also contribute to it by suggesting a non-indexed site or an incompetent site they own. This may cause the search results be clogged with such sites. Though the feasibility of such an attack is not known, the likelihood cannot be ruled out.
Another hindrance is the keyword. People have millions of keywords to search for. For a particular thing such as “flower” for instance, people can use different search terms. They can search for “flowers,” “flower shops,” “flower shops in the area,” “floral decorations,” “wedding flowers,” “blossoms,” and many more. Since the experiment is targeting keywords, each of these keywords is treated differently from the other, though they are essentially the same. Search customization for one of these keywords may not be available for another.
So far, there has not been any documentation with Google regarding these cons. We have to wait further to see where they go with this experiment.
constant-content.com | March 19th, 2008
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