Google Throws A Party For Those Who Game The System

from the gotta-do-something dept

More and more people are saying that "Google is broken," as the search results are increasingly less relevant. Much of the problem is that some people see to have figured out how to successfully game the system. For quite a while Google could stay ahead of those folks, but in some areas it looks like they've fallen behind. On the whole, I still find Google quite useful, but it's not as automatic as it once was. For the folks who trick Google (they prefer to call themselves "search engine optimizers") there's a once-a-month or so day they dread when Google updates its algorithm and the results go through a "Google Dance" as the listing move around. If Google does a good job (which the SEO folks pray against), then improperly displayed SEO client websites slide down the Google list. If not, they stay up at the top. So, how does Google deal with these folks? They throw them a party, amusingly called (you guessed it) the "Google Dance." Google says that they're targeting the ethical search engine optimizers, who they want to target with good suggestions that helps both sides, but since it's tough to tell the good from the bad, anyone is welcome. Some slightly more cynical folks think that Google is just trying to butter them up and figure out what their secrets are to improve their algorithm. Both might be right.
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  • identicon
    Beck, 6 Nov 2003 @ 6:30pm

    Self-Inflicted Wounds?

    Maybe Google is broken because of people who have figured out how to "game" the search, but I think it is possible that Google is broken because of all of the stuff they do to try to catch the SEOs.

    How many non-offending sites get dropped in the ratings because it appears to Google that they are "cheating"? For that matter, how many of the "cheating" sites deserve to be at the top of the rankings anyway based on their content, but are penalized and dropped because of SEO actions?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    King Leer, 6 Nov 2003 @ 6:42pm

    Google and the algo optimizers

    ...and while they're doing that "dance", people just might wise up and figure out that not only is Google not the be-all-end-all of search tools, but that there just might be tools that are better... like alltheweb.com or turbo10.com

    point? Google has proably reached the height of empire... nobody gets to stay there for long.... Going down? :)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    aNonMooseCowherd, 6 Nov 2003 @ 9:57pm

    dancing Googles?

    Google updates its algorithm and the results go through a "Google Dance"

    Is there a "dancing Googles" web site like the dancing hamsters?

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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