Are you happy with your search engine?

AdWords in Google isn't that big of a problem. The little green boxes (that are clearly identified as Sponsored Links) to the right of search results can be ignored like any other advertising.

It's the adversing (both real and phoney) cluttering up the search results that is getting annoying. Recently, I misspelled a search phrase and my gibberish entry (eg. hoxpnrtodj) got a link to a site promising the lowest prices on hoxpnrtodj with fast and free shipping.

Also, as mentioned, entering the name of a real product will take you to sellers sites rather than information or reviews.

A simple search for example.
"maxtor 120 GB hard drive" yeilds 73,700 hits and yet you have to go past 139 hits of advertisements selling a hard drive before you find a hit that simply brings up pertinent info about the drive. Call me crazy I don't care. when Google started out their hierarchy was info first, reviews second, and advertisements last. I have no problem with any one making a buck but come on. The right half of the pages of listed hits id invaribly blank. Plentyof room for adverts there no?

It is because of return hits like these people are becoming much more savvy when searching. The more paring down of your search or to be specific about your search does a great deal to eliminate hawkers.
The "I'm feeling lucky button" should be labelled I'm a sucker button.


As far as not hearing much bad about how Google is degenerating into the world wide web classified ad section you either didn't bother to read the links posted at the beginning of the thread or perhaps when you googled for related links to see how many more people are becoming dissatisfied with Google you gave up sifting through all junk of people selling something.

Well I have to add that Recently I've been searching for deals on laptops and there is a common thing happening.

Dealtime
Bizrate
buy
amazon
mysimon
shopping

Are torking me off because almost all of them have the same info. Half of them are the same place just a different logo.gif.

The general rule was that you would never be seen if you were on the 11th page but with a vauge search like "maxtor 120 GB hard drive" your going to have to go to a much higher page to find info on help/support if that is what you were after. There are just to many people searching for the cheapest place to pick up a hard drive.

"maxtor 120 GB hard drive support" gets sites you could use... so I guess proper keywords is still important.

Calpitor> A simple search for example. "maxtor 120 GB hard drive" yeilds 73,700 hits and yet you have to go past 139 hits of advertisements selling a hard drive before you find a hit that simply brings up pertinent info about the drive. ... The "I'm feeling lucky button" should be labelled I'm a sucker button.

If you're ONLY looking for "pertinent info", you have to tell Google. How's it supposed to know? (I seriously doubt that the phrase "pertinent info" will get you anywhere though. :))

For example, if you're looking for jumper settings for your Maxtor 120GB hard drive, use something like:

• site:maxtor.com "jumper settings" 120GB

Or, if you're looking for the number of cylinders for the same drive:

• site:maxtor.com cylinders 120GB

And now that you have that drive up and running, you would like to brush up on the instructions for installing Windows 98:

• site:support.microsoft.com "install windows 98"

And, with your searches narrowed down like this, go ahead, try the "I'm feeling lucky" button. :)

Vernon, I see what you are saying. What I think Calpitor is saying though, is that a while ago, when you typed "maxtor 120 GB hard drive", you would get technical information. If you type it nowadays, you get commercial sites trying to sell you something. That IS quite annoying. You have to work THAT much harder, refining your search to get simple information. Google has become too commercialized (no wonder they are worth Billions of $), and in my opinion, has lost some of its clout.
Having said that, I still use google out of habit, and because of a lack of other good search engines. I have noted the search engines made in this thread and will check them out.

I understand that. Part of the reason this is happening is:

1. there is an ever-increasing number of people and webpages on the Internet (Google currently lists/scans more than 3.3+ Billion), and
2. folks have learned (are learning) how to get their webpages to show up on a Search Engine site.

For example, if someone buries the phrase "Britney Spears" or "Maxtor Hard Drive" somewhere in their completely unrelated webpage(s), it's certainly not Google's fault.

What you have to do is be smarter than those that are trying to get you to look at their junk. Think about what it is you're searching for and then how it might be listed/phrased within a related webpage.

(If you needed a starter for your car for example, you couldn't just punch in "starter" into Car-Parts computer and expect to get exactly what you're looking for).

Until the day we can communicate telepathically with a computer, you're going to have to try to tell it (type) specifically what it is you're after.

I see Google as a monopoly at the moment. If and when M$ will get into the picture, we will be the ones to benefit. Less "sales" tactics, more "to the point" googling.











I hope :D

Vern you have mad a valid point but I think I may have clouded the issue here by using "a simple search" as an example. If anyone reading this is offended I apologize in advance but with an ever swelling number of people out there who are compelled to open and execute everything in there Inbox I don't give them much credit for being able to cull through the many eccentricities on how to google. As you have noted web masters on an ever growing scale are getting better at getting Google to list them on a search and list them highly in the rankings when hits are returned. Which is part and parcel of my argument. With Google diversifying into among other things, email, they are seceding ground bit by bit to those who are detracting from their good name. I'm not saying there are easy answers here. Which is why I continue to use Google partly through habit and partly because it is still better than some but nowhere near what it used to be. "In a perfect wolrd" (quotes used to note there could never be one obviously) Google would add yet another section for all these hawkers\classified advertisers and perhaps call it Selloogle or Cloogle :)

Usil just the idea of looking towards Microsoft as an ideal solution makes me feel uncomfortable. Perhaps instead we should be looking towards the Open Source Community. :D Mind you M$ running a search engine has to be lightyears beyond them entering the Anti-Virus\Security market. :D :D

Quote:

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Usil just the idea of looking towards Microsoft as an ideal solution makes me feel uncomfortable. Perhaps instead we should be looking towards the Open Source Community. Mind you M$ running a search engine has to be lightyears beyond them entering the Anti-Virus\Security market.

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Calpitor, actually I had not set my hopes in M$. My point was that once M$ get into the searching business, Google will have to pull itself together and fight for users, hopefully by improving and going back to being good ole' Google! Thats the free market for you.

Unfortunately, MS wants to purchase/acquire/takeover Google because of people like us (we use Google out of habit, because we like it, and because it is currently the best at what it does). I do not remember the full story, but I know that MS made several attempts to purchase Google.

Usil, you made a comment about Google being a 'Monopoly', I think you may be trying to toss that word around without using it correctly.

The closest Definition of the word is 'a commodity controlled by one party'.

Google does have 75% of the search engine traffic and is only expected to drop to 50-55% when Yahoo launches a Search Engine this year. (Ya didn't they start out as a seach engine?)

You do have Other options for a seach engine.
Overture.com <- I thought it was stupid when they changed there name.
37.com
And I cant forget the other hundreds of search engines that you can list your site with for free on some sites :-)

Honestly if your truely upset with google I suggest looking at DMOZ.org

Google didn't get on top because it had huge cash backing, but the major reason is that it has a good, fast loading design. Which is whythe majority of us do use it.

Quote:

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Monopoly
A situation where a single company controls nearly all of a particular market for goods or services.
www.freebuck.com/reference/glossary/m.htm

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There are lots of different definitions of the word, you can find one that best suits you. The point is that you understood what I meant. You said yourself that it has 75% of the market. That allows them to pretty much do what they want. They already have people where they want them.
I can't say that I am upset, just disappointed. Its a shame to see it turn out to be like this.
But hey, you gotta give it to them, their business strategy was excellent!

Interesting thread, I don't know how I missed it. I've been wondering about the direction that Google is taking myself, after all they got to be as big as they are (and remember they came out of nowhere and kicked the backside of all the big boys at the time), because they were simply the best. Quick, and relevant every time. It's not like that any more, apart from the commercial sites as mentioned above, the searches just don't seem to have the relevance that they used to. I know they periodically make changes to their search algorithm to try and prevent site spamming and those sort of tricks, and they seem to have messed up the core technology while they're at it. The amount of times recently when I've been trying to find some help for someone's problem and I've been taken to some obscure tech forum with a single question containing the keyword and no replies to it. You have to ask how that can possibly be the most linked to site on the Internet :confused: And that didn't happen a year ago either.

Here is a very interesting article about MS and search engines - and from personal experience I would agree that they've wrecked the Technet search function. I'll leave it to you to decide whether the ascribed motives are genuine or not:

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20031120.html

Been knapping have we, Its not like you to miss a thread:)

After reading this thread for the past week, iam now kinda looking forward for a MS own search engine

If they can make a go off it, it may work.

I guess Using Google for 4 years has sort of left a mark, and it would be hard to go to something else *wipes away tears*:D:)

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=13793