Google Disappoints Again

I’ve written on this topic before — Google’s first link continually disappoints me. I predict that they will either buy another company that has better search technology than they do or they will lose the lead in search in the next 5 years. I hope Wikia can do for search what they did for encyclopedias.

Today, because I was getting bad results searching on standard poodle grooming I thought I would look for a search engine that actually allowed users to rate the results. You can imagine my disappointment when I got Gay-Web-Links.com as the top result for the phrase “search engine rates links.” I’m happy that gays and lesbians have a wonderful site like this. However, I am quite perplexed as to how its the top result for the phrase “search engine rates links.”

I am planning on writing an article on my recent purchase and use of Verizon’s kickass wireless broadband service so I typed in “wireless broadband” and the first link is Welcome to Google TiSP. Google, you are really trying my patience here!!! WTF is that?

Every time I write about this, I become more inclined to think that Google has “jumped the shark” so to speak. C’mon Google, focus on your core business, search. You really do need to make search better or someone else is going to unseat you just as quickly as you became the king of search yourself.

I do have to admit that it is somewhat ironic and hypocritical that I tried using Google to search for a better search engine.

P.S. 02/20/2008: I’m not the only one that thinks Google is losing it.

P.S.S. 03/26/2008: Well, I guess someone at Google is reading my blog. :) If you follow the links above to Google, you’ll find that the Gay Website is no longer the top link. In fact, it’s no longer on the first page. And Verizon is now the first link returned instead of Google’s TiSP (whatever that is).

Why is Google’s Stock Price So High?

I am continually amazed at how bad the first link returned by Google is. It seems like it’s getting worse by the day. I searched on this phrase: “selectively copying table data using ssis.” The best Google could do is return a link showing a discussion group post where someone asked how to transfer data WITHOUT using SSIS. Thanks Google. Share price currently $510 and you return the opposite of what I ask for as the top link. You might want to put some of those talented people you keep hiring back on search.

P.S. (10/31/2007): Now at $700.

Search Engine Results Badly Manipulated

I guess the golden age of the internet is already over. As far as I’m concerened, Search Engine Optimization is just a euphamism for thinly-veiled fraud. I remember the good old days when typing in a simple phrase would take you to real content that was original, helpful, and genuine. Now I find myself skipping to the second or fifth page of results sometimes just to skip over all the SEO crap. I ‘ve been very unhappy with search engine results on relatively simple things. My prior post on getting a Vista machine to use a network printer on an XP host is a perfect example. I had to go through numerous versions of my search phrase to finally find a useful result. The other ones should have worked. In fact, they were “better” in the sense that they more clearly expressed what I wanted. Unfortunately, those are the phrases that the SEO leaches jump on and ruin with unhelpful, regurgitated, ad-ridden crap. It’s become sick, really.

Where’s the next Google? Is useful search gone forever? Will someone develop a way to analyze content for true relevance that can bypass the SEO crap? I hope so.