Google May Make Changes!!!

yeh riveting!

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is quite old news... they have been slowly rolling it out to the public for a while now. I tried a beta version a few months ago.

Just to clarify, it has NO effect on SEO or how your site ranks.

The changes you make only affect your own searches.

It's just a new feature, not a life-changing event.

Official Google Blog: SearchWiki: make search your own


- Jared

Wow...here's what I foresee that's VERY scary.

Companies open up a service that charges for mass voting or demoting of sites for certain keyword phrases...all on a nice network with 1,000s of IP address to be undetectable by Google.

Is Google really going to become the next Digg?

Yet another reason to get out of SEO...wonder if they'll being doing this for Adwords?

Uh oh!

You have to be logged into iGoogle to customize your search otherwise the options do not present themselves to the casual searcher.

I can't find your site when I logged into iGoogle or when I logged out so it could be a personalized placedholder in the SERP's exclusive to that iGoogle user.

I can see how this will be abused if G decides to keep it if it grants some SEO love due to iGoogle voting.

I live in an igloo too and use google.ca

P.S. You must be logged into your google account to see these new features.

- Jared

Do you really think that google software engineers & business developers are stupid?

I mean really people... AS IF google would put something out there that could threaten their business...

Do you think google doesn't know about spammers & people that try to manipulate their system?

come on now...

it's just a new feature, not a new business model.

- Jared

We warriors just all think alike - I just made a blog post about this today - here's a snippet from it (actually it's most of it the first portion contained the video which you've already seen).

All right, so after watching the video you now know that you can:

• Rearrange the search results to your liking;
• Add notes to websites for your future reference;
• Delete sites that you don't want to see come up in your search results;
• Add a web page that you'd like to see in your own search results and
• Even read other people's notes on websites if you like.

Keep in mind that the SearchWiki will only work if you're signed into Google. If you are signed out of Google you'll only see Google's search results, not your personalized search results that you set up in SearchWiki.

How this relates to your overall SEO process.

Since SearchWiki has just been released to the public, we don't quite know yet how it will affect search engine listings. However, I do have a few theories as to what Google is trying to accomplish with this seemingly helpful way to rearrange items on your search results pages.

One idea is that Google wants to incorporate real users information with their own algorithms. Since you, the end user of a search engine needs to remain happy, Google can only assume so much information about you. For years they have attempted to try and figure out what you, the web searcher, might be looking for when you use Google. This has been the basis for their algorithm over the past few years which has been updated, tweaked, and refined based on its own artificial intelligence.

With a SearchWiki, Google can now move out of the "assumption" phase of determining what you'd like to see in a SERP (search engine results page) and incorporate actual users preferences based on what sites they move up to the top of their own listings, what sites they delete and what sites they add to their search listings.

Now keep in mind that only you can see the search listings you personally have chosen. The actual search results that you see if you aren't signed into Google will be Google's typical search results.

However, I believe that as more and more people start using the SearchWiki, we'll see this information end up as part of the overall Google search algorithm. So in essence, you're building the algorithm for Google.

As with all things that could be a possibility and end up as part of a search results page, this is open to SPAM.

Here's how...

First, while signed into Google, you can add notes to each individual website. Since we aren't sure yet, (but we can theorize all we want) whether or not these notes will be taken into account into regular search results pages, we can assume that Google will someday incorporate these notes into their overall algorithm.

This means that a search engine spammer could, theoretically, hire a large group of people to sign into Google and create keyword-rich notations for a particular website. Of course, we don't know if these notes will be taken into account in Google's algorithm, but again, we're just theorizing here.

Additionally, these same folks could hire another group of people and add a website that they'd like to see listed at the top of their search results for a certain keyword phrase. Enough people adding a website could trigger to Google that this is a website a lot of people would like to see listed at the top of a SERP for a certain keyword.

Google's SearchWiki, at least to me, is acting much like a voting system that you'd see at a social bookmarking site but instead of making your personal rearrangement public, it's private (well, to you AND Google). At a typical bookmarking site, the more people who vote on a site, the further to the top the listing moves. I believe that Google is doing the same thing without actually calling this a "bookmarking" site. Kind of a Google 2.0 if you will. Google is taking notes as to what you do, but instead of sharing your arrangement with the world like you could share a bookmark with anyone you'd like, you're only sharing your information with Google. Who, I believe will in fact use this in their future algorithm updates.

Keep in mind however, that not everyone on the planet has a Google account (much to Google's dismay I'm sure) and so couldn't possibly take into account every last web searchers preferences. But, there are plenty of us out there; enough to make a difference in Google's entire algorithm.

Something else that could be potentially hazardous to search results is that of deleting a website when using SearchWiki.
Let's say that another group of people are hired to purposefully delete a website from their search engine results listings when signed into Google. Could this then mean that with enough money, and enough people at their disposal, that a rogue company could take out their competition?

Remember this is all theory.

So let's say that Company A has the #1 position and Company B has the #2 position in a Google search results page for a certain keyword.

Company B desperately wants that #1 position.

So rogue, underhanded Company B hires a vast amount of people to log into Google, and remove Company A's listing from their personal search results perhaps affecting the overall positioning of Company A.

Of course, there's a lot more that goes into a great search results listing but you can't help but wonder if someone removing sites from their listings, adding keyword-rich notes to sites and then arranging certain sites to the top of their listings will make an overall difference in the entire future Google algorithm.

Yep, it means nothing for SEO. Google described it by saying that if somebody has a couple favorite links that consistently show up 4 or 5 when they do a search, then they can promote them to 1 so it's easier to find. Personally, I think it would have been cheaper and easier to explain how to bookmark the sites.

Google always takes things slow and introduces them step by step when it comes to their users. Google's in the business of ensuring user satisfaction. This is one way to do this.

But for those who say that this won't impact SEO... the answer to that is: "Yet."

It won't impact SEO yet. But that's because it's only being tested out. You don't change your entire system based on a "test". That would be stupid. You figure out how effective it is first, and then you change the system.

That's what's happening now. It's really worth keeping an eye on, because wiki is about SHARED social content, not individual alterations. Individual alterations is just customizable search. The term "wiki" implies something more, and I'm willing to place bets on the possibility that eventually, should this test prove effective, Google will gladly alter their system.

I say just keep your eyes open to it. Maybe Google will even integrate this ranking feature directly into Chrome so that when you arrive on a site you can social bookmark it and associate tags to it... sort of Google a-la-StumbleUpon/Del.Icio.Us.

It has a lot of applications... For now though, I can see it having one useful application: apparently you can see what others have ranked up... kind of a good way of understanding what people are looking for when they search certain keywords.

Go WikiGoogle!

Well actually all, there are 2 sides to this story that both sides arguing here are leaving out and I don't think it's deliberate.

1. Google's new searchwiki will only affect YOUR personal searches. Point taken. However...

2. The other party that's screaming about the sky falling may not be too far off from the truth here's why...

The Sunday Morning Herald in Aussie had this to say earlier...

[I]Although the revisions won't affect Google's closely guarded formulas for ranking websites, the company isn't ruling out eventually tapping into collective wisdom of the crowds to tweak its internet-searching algorithms. Source

So, it does appear that after some time, your personal searches and editing just might be used to affect organic searches for everyone else...

GOOGLE IS NOT RULING THAT OUT. They haven't said they will, and they haven't said they won't, but I'm guessing what is likely to happen eventually is if they spy on your personal searches long enough and notice a prolonged pattern building among "unrelated" users about the most popular sites in their "private" wikis Google may then use that info their organic search to rank those privately picked popular sites high... AGAIN, Google is not ruling this out... though they are also not shouting about it

Now can people cheat on this before that happens, probably, what have you ever found in this world that is foolproof? Let's just see where this leads

How do you know as fact that the voting buttons used to promote a single site/page by multiple iGoogle users will not affect the SERP rankings?

Let's just assume that the voting buttons were used by thousands of common folks (not marketers) on a newly launched site that is popular which may and often does have difficulty establishing and sustaining 1st page ranking in G for their keywords.

I'm eluding to the mythical sandbox for new domains which would take away from the G searcher's experience if they were not able to find the "New Facebook" on G but could do so with ease on Y! or MSN.

I'm thinking that this may solve the problem of aged irrelevant content on domain authoritative sites to give rise to newly launched sites with fresh relevant content specific to the search keywords if the masses think the site rightfully belongs in the SERP's for their desired keyword search.

How could the user experience voted on by the masses be disregarded by G?

It speaks directly to the user's positive experience with search on G if the voting buttons carry ranking weight to improve keyword search results relevance.

(I understand some will game the system if that is the case however, I'm sure G can find out a searchers location based on IP and other stealthy ways much the same as they can find someone trying to game Adsense through invalid clicks)

Google needs to stay competitive and will do whatever its users want if there is value in it for the user so they keep using G as their primary search tool.... the Adwords advertisers would be pleased too as well as G shareholders.

I have no clue if it does improve the rankings but there is a strong argument for it if the users of G want it and use it otherwise, the herd will go elsewhere when they cannot find what they are searching for.... and we all do that 'cause G isn't perfect.

This is something like WikiSearch have tried, but so far failed, to do properly.

It's democratic PR or 'MegaDigg' and yes, it could obviously be abused, but how abused are the conventional PR rankings right now? Obvious benefits:-

1) Quality will out - no more highly ranked crappo Markov sites
2) No more need for link farming :-)))
3) No more SEO
4) No more No/Do Follow mucking about
5) No more paid links
6) No more black hat

All you'd have to do is good stuff - Bring It On!

I was reading on SearchEngineLand about the searchwiki feature last night.

The blogger claims to have contacted/interviewed a Google spokesperson.

And HIS take on whether this data will be used in part to determine rankings from overall patterns was that "it's too early to say", and that if the technology enabled them to serve BETTER results, then yes, they wouldn't shun the idea of using that data.

So my take is that it's really just a matter of time until this is part of the algo, even if just in some small way.

Obviously this will be abused like crazy if it is, but maybe they'll use organic patterning filters or something to try and rule out mechanical manipulation or malware.

I really don't see this as a problem, either.

Those with good content will win anyway.

Give the users what they want.

Not hard

-Chris

It doesn't make much sense to me. When I am searching for something, how would I know which one I like better than the other?????

I'd have to look at the sites FIRST!

And when I find that site or info I am looking for, I'm not going to go back into Google and rank it.

Just doesn't make any sense. Plus, if you have everything you like ranked on the first page, chances of finding a new kickass site diminish with every promoted one.

Weird.

AL

p.s. The only thing I can see this helping with (at least using a little common sense) is being able to manipulate rankings should Google add it to the algorithm in the future...and why would they put out an avenue for manipulaton? They HATE being tricked.

I got 2 things to say.. Don't promote your site whilst logged into your Google-webmaster account

You know the 2 smileys on the google toolbar? Don't click the yellow one whilst logged into your account as it moves you 200 pages back.

I was on page 2 a few months ago and clicked the yellow smiley only to be on page 1000.000.8948596.

Could it have been a coincidence? of course but I never tested it again to find out

Louis

EXCELLENT...now i can exclude all those unwanted search-results which bug me for YEARS already....example that stupid "expert-exchange" where you need to pay. And much more.

greatest google invention ever!

Wasn't there some open source "google killer" search engine that did exactly this instead of links for ranking?

I think it's obvious G will look at the data for patterns, it's exactly what they do. If a link is a "vote" then ignoring actual voting directly on G is plain silly.


B.

Wow! Pretty cool. I tried going to the Canada Google but since it's up and running just as of today it didn't show it just yet. Maybe Beta testing is just for certain areas.

Um, no, as OPs have said, it only affects your own searches, not the index. :-)

I'm sure that Google are well aware of the scam potential of rolling this out so that it affects the entire index and have no intention ever of doing any such thing.

Cheers

Angela

Microsoft is doing the same thing - check this out...

Microsoft tries to learn how users search through U Rank


Lynn

Google should implement it to be used for better search results.

I said a long time ago they needed to add a spam button so users could report it. After a percent of visits report it as spam, its removed for human review.

Isnt this just for personal preference, i.e. if you searching and you find a good website you move it up so next time you try and find that website it will be at the top of google because your set that in your preference.

I dont think its the uesrs who decide or spammers would just keep shoving their websites to the top with help from there friends and hacked ips.

I was expereinmenting with this at school the other day and an alert came up notifying it was just for personal preference...if i am correct.

It would actually make sense if people could rank...however, there would me major, major fraud be going on.