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UC-Berkley Professor States Google Search Results Are Garbage

by lassy715
38 replies
I saw this article on tech crunch today and had to share it with you spammers/marketers.

this article goes to show you guys how you need to create unique and powerful content, more engaging websites, and basically sites that actually serve a purpose to the visitor....just gettn it out there.

stop making crappy websites designed to get adsense clicks...its fine if you wanna get clicks from adsense, just make good content also...if any of you have heard of griz then you know what i mean. he teaches internet marketing on his site, ranks on the first page for a lot of mmo keywords, makes bank with adsense, but also provides great information...the best internet marketing advice on the internet in my eyes.

anyway im getting side tracked, the article on techcrunch was worth a couple minutes to read. just go to the site and type "we desperately need a new google" - i cant give a link i guess.
#garbage #google #professor #results #search #states #ucberkley
  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    If your not going to link to the article do you think any one is going to take your post seriously?

    I don't, so post back the URL to the article so we can read it and form out own opinions.

    THX
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    • Profile picture of the author lassy715
      Originally Posted by Rus Sells View Post

      If your not going to link to the article do you think any one is going to take your post seriously?

      I don't, so post back the URL to the article so we can read it and form out own opinions.

      THX
      all im saying is that google has a bunch of spammy crap results...and i can't post the url because i don't have enough posts or something, idk.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
        OK, well my bad. but you could have typed it out for us. lol Sorry

        Originally Posted by lassy715 View Post

        all im saying is that google has a bunch of spammy crap results...and i can't post the url because i don't have enough posts or something, idk.
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  • Profile picture of the author auradev
    Googles got dozens of very high paid engineers working on this 24x7. Crappy sites wont rank well forever.

    Once they start focusing on how the users interact with the websites once they click the link, you'll see big changes.

    For example if they detect high bounce rates (people clicking on a result then going back and running a second related search in under 20 seconds) and start penalizing sites for that, things will change.

    I realize the way I just described that is not what bounce rate is, but hopefully you get the picture.
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    • Profile picture of the author lassy715
      Originally Posted by auradev View Post

      Googles got dozens of very high paid engineers working on this 24x7. Crappy sites wont rank well forever.

      Once they start focusing on how the users interact with the websites once they click the link, you'll see big changes.

      For example if they detect high bounce rates (people clicking on a result then going back and running a second related search in under 20 seconds) and start penalizing sites for that, things will change.

      I realize the way I just described that is not what bounce rate is, but hopefully you get the picture.
      very good point, thats a good way to do it from a search engine standpoint. but i think the problem with irrelevant search results may be the user also.
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  • Profile picture of the author aaron_nimocks
    I've read that one and liked it.

    He is spot on with what he says and I hope Google does clean up all the crap. What gets me also is he throws in big sites like associate content as being a landfill of junk.

    Here it is for people that didn't read it yet

    http://techcrunch.com/2011/01/01/why...tter-google-2/
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    Originally Posted by lassy715 View Post

    share it with you spammers/marketers.
    Originally Posted by lassy715 View Post

    stop making crappy websites
    Wow, youre bound to make a lot of friends around here :rolleyes:
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    • Profile picture of the author lassy715
      Originally Posted by ramone_johnny View Post

      Wow, youre bound to make a lot of friends around here :rolleyes:
      not trying to make friends, just stating the truth really. I try my best to get as much good content on my sites and i hate it when i personally search for something and come across 6 adsense sites that have content thats just **** it gets frustrating.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
        Originally Posted by lassy715 View Post

        I saw this article on tech crunch today and had to share it with you spammers/marketers.
        None of the marketers I know are spammers, but I'm sure they'll appreciate you lumping them in with spammers.

        Originally Posted by lassy715 View Post

        ...this article goes to show you guys how you need to create unique and powerful content, more engaging websites, and basically sites that actually serve a purpose to the visitor....just gettn it out there.
        Gee, what a revelation. :rolleyes:

        Originally Posted by lassy715 View Post

        I try my best to get as much good content on my sites ...
        Do you think you're the only one?
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    • Profile picture of the author SamirSM
      This is absolute bullsh*t!

      Google allows you to set a custom time range for the Search Results!

      That way one can very easily search for news articles and reports filed in specific years, months and even days!

      And about buying products. There is something called Google Shopping Search where you can go to sites like Amazon, Ebay etc. and get products by specific companies/brands!

      Blaming Google because you don't know how to use it is absolutely pathetic!
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      • Profile picture of the author aaron_nimocks
        Originally Posted by indihow View Post

        This is absolute bullsh*t!
        Or is the other website that he seems to promote paying him for this review?

        I'm guessing this isn't a free review.
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      • Profile picture of the author SamirSM
        In fact I doubt that it is any different from a promotional gig for Blekko!
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        • Profile picture of the author lassy715
          Originally Posted by indihow View Post

          In fact I doubt that it is any different from a promotional gig for Blekko!
          LMAO. thats good...i like it.
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          • Profile picture of the author brandon2664
            There is a new search engine called BING that the UC-Berkley Professor should go use and there is another one called YAHOO. I find google to work just fine though.
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          • Profile picture of the author Michael Shook
            If I had to guess, (and I don't, I just want to) I would say this gentleman is positioning himself as a Perez Hilton sort of person. All his profiles are linked to his work and publications, pretty much the way folks teach in conversation sort of IM courses. Kind of like a big old LinkWheel.

            The part I don't get is why anyone ever thinks that Google or Bing or Yahoo are anything except businesses. I don't wnat to go back to the Arpnet and I don't know anyone that does.

            "In addition to providing regular search capabilities like Google's, Blekko allows you to define what it calls "slashtags" and filter the information you retrieve according to your own criteria. Slashtags are mostly human-curated sets of websites built around a specific topic, such as. . ."

            I do not believe the internet needs another wikipedia, goolge instant is difficult enough to live with, and I do not need somebody else telling me which sites they think are important to me.
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        • Profile picture of the author onlinewarriors
          Originally Posted by indihow View Post

          In fact I doubt that it is any different from a promotional gig for Blekko!
          that's just what i think! he's full of it, making his own promotional gig's!!
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      • Profile picture of the author lassy715
        Originally Posted by indihow View Post

        This is absolute bullsh*t!

        Google allows you to set a custom time range for the Search Results!

        That way one can very easily search for news articles and reports filed in specific years, months and even days!

        And about buying products. There is something called Google Shopping Search where you can go to sites like Amazon, Ebay etc. and get products by specific companies/brands!

        Blaming Google because you don't know how to use it is absolutely pathetic!
        Exactly. We as marketers know how to use google better than 99 percent of the people out there. I watched a friend try to search for an all inclusive vacation package the other day and just laughed.
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  • Profile picture of the author onlinewarriors
    we don't need more rules and restrictions!!
    just kick out the bad ones!!
    more rules and restrictions= no more freedom= going to a dictatorship!!

    David
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave Rodman
    Banned
    I think Google works just fine...but I would agree with the idea that you just need to create better content. Most of the discussion on this forum talks about throwing up garbage sites and then doing more borderline garbage to promote it.
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    • Profile picture of the author asimbawany
      Originally Posted by lassy715 View Post

      I saw this article on tech crunch today and had to share it with you spammers/marketers.
      really? you say it like all IMers are spammers. So where does that put you?

      Originally Posted by ramone_johnny View Post

      Wow, youre bound to make a lot of friends around here :rolleyes:
      yeah... you bet...

      Originally Posted by Dave Rodman View Post

      I think Google works just fine...but I would agree with the idea that you just need to create better content. Most of the discussion on this forum talks about throwing up garbage sites and then doing more borderline garbage to promote it.
      I think too. But the OP does have a point even though he didn't quite put it in a good light. I myself sometimes find that 1st page rankings are taken up by sites that do not have very good content to offer but are there because they did a good job with their optimization and link building. Some one above said that crappy sites do not stick for long and that's true.

      And no, this forum is not filled with discussion about throwing up garbage sites. look around... there are a lot of experienced marketers here who have been in the game very long, they have successful online businesses and they still spend their time here helping out people who are new with valuable and genuine advise.

      As for the professor, this guy needs to learn to use google. Apparently he teaches at a school of information and neither he nor his students know how to use the biggest search engine online. That tells me something about this guy. And what is wrong with wanting to sell? Is he imparting his knowledge at UC Berkley for Free out of the goodness of his heart? I don't think so.
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      • Profile picture of the author ajetayo
        Just read the article, you can't write a better product review for blekko lol.

        Now to say the truth, He's right about spamming, just that there's no turning around. I know how much Google frowns at duplicate content, how they shut down blogger blogs tagged as spam so they are doing their best, come to think of it, If yahoo or bing or even Bleeko turns out to be the NO1 search engine, it will do worse than google.

        Internet marketing has come to stay, we just have to find a better way of refining our searches. As for me, I know how to get my results from google search.

        And someone should pls tell Bleeko that putting spam links to search results doesn't make sense, people will try to pull down competitors by labeling them as spam and there will be too much work trying to locate which is and which is not.
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      • Profile picture of the author paulie888
        Originally Posted by asimbawany View Post



        I think too. But the OP does have a point even though he didn't quite put it in a good light. I myself sometimes find that 1st page rankings are taken up by sites that do not have very good content to offer but are there because they did a good job with their optimization and link building. Some one above said that crappy sites do not stick for long and that's true.

        And no, this forum is not filled with discussion about throwing up garbage sites. look around... there are a lot of experienced marketers here who have been in the game very long, they have successful online businesses and they still spend their time here helping out people who are new with valuable and genuine advise.

        As for the professor, this guy needs to learn to use google. Apparently he teaches at a school of information and neither he nor his students know how to use the biggest search engine online. That tells me something about this guy. And what is wrong with wanting to sell? Is he imparting his knowledge at UC Berkley for Free out of the goodness of his heart? I don't think so.
        You see, Google is nothing more than a search algorithm, and it's definitely not a human that can ascertain what you actually want.

        Since it is a search algorithm that can be broken down into formulaic steps, it is vulnerable to manipulation by devious people putting up 'garbage' sites. The funny thing is that the people running these crappy sites are only hurting themselves for the most part, as I doubt that they're able to monetize these sites well.

        Notice how it seems to be a common complaint of people that they have their sites on the first page of Google, but still can't seem to make any money? The problem here is that even though they have learned how to manipulate Google effectively, they're ultimately deceiving/hurting themselves if they don't provide content that the human visitors to their site find valuable and useful!
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  • Profile picture of the author scott g
    Originally Posted by lassy715 View Post

    I saw this article on tech crunch today and had to share it with you spammers/marketers.

    This is HILARIOUS LOL! Although I'll agree a lot of the crap on WF is spammy...

    The guy has no idea what he's talking about. He can go back to using Altavista if he wants...

    CHEERS!
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    "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve."
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      We as marketers know how to use google better than 99 percent of the people out there. I watched a friend try to search for an all inclusive vacation package the other day and just laughed.
      I would point out marketers know how to abuse Google better than 99 percent of the people out there, too. You may laugh at your friend - but if you are a good marketer you'll pay attention to how she searches. That's how people will find YOUR sites.

      Part of creating a good site is profiling your market - if you don't understand those in the target maket and how they search, you limit your own sites.

      kay
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        I didn't read all of the article - scanned the last half. blekko does return some good results and I may be using that.

        The point that struck home is early in the article - he's right. Many google searches return nothing but smarmy, spammy sites that have little information to offer.

        You can blame google - or you can blame marketers who have worked hard to manipulate results. Google is like a mass market search engine - this guy is looking for specialized results.

        You have to understand a couple things about the author - he's a teacher so is interested in doing research online. I do a lot of research onine so I know how hard it can be to find valid results with real info. If I land on one more thin ehow page someday I'll scream. Same with Youtube and a few other well known google results.

        Also, he's at Berkeley:rolleyes:

        kay
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        • Profile picture of the author Dave Rodman
          Banned
          Google will never eliminate spam. It's just about getting enough people to believe that it's easier to just write better content than to try and game the engines.

          Over the last 5 years, they're doing a better job...but it's an endless battle.
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      • Profile picture of the author TimG
        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        I would point out marketers know how to abuse Google better than 99 percent of the people out there, too. You may laugh at your friend - but if you are a good marketer you'll pay attention to how she searches. That's how people will find YOUR sites.

        Part of creating a good site is profiling your market - if you don't understand those in the target maket and how they search, you limit your own sites.

        kay
        Kay,
        Very sound advice and the golden nugget in this thread that we should all be picking up on. When you see how users search for information you can then build sites using keyword phrases based around those search patterns in order to help the end user while providing quality content.

        It becames a win for all three involved; the user, the webmaster and Google.

        Oh, and I agree with the OP....Griz's blog is pretty darn awesome.

        Respectfully,
        Tim
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    The problem with Google is apparently that the search results are full of worthless crap.

    But... the internet is full of worthless crap.

    So when you search the internet... the results ought to be full of worthless crap.

    Why is anyone surprised?
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  • Profile picture of the author GrowTallerNiche
    Until casual internet users cease to be the most profitable revenue stream(the ones who will be satisfied by 'weak' content), spam will continue to populate the internet.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I do one hella research and I have to agree with the Professor. I come up with so much crap if I don't go straight into deep searches that I can't believe what I click onto. Adsense sites will be the death of that engine yet. I don't care if I "make friends" for saying that or not. Adsense sites suck. The only reason people make them is for quick easy bucks - like we don't know they are trash? When you have major amounts of research to do it's pathetic to draw up a whole page of search results that amount to nothing more than another page of links. I've even seen adsense pages that go to other adsense pages. How long did we actually think that we could fill that search engine with garbage before it started to stink?

    Quick cash, overnight adsense riches. Whatever - greed isn't doing any of us any favors. Have fun researching your next project that you need real SOLID information for..........
    I suggest try Bing and Wolfram. That's what I do now. I don't even bother with google.
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  • Profile picture of the author 82ana
    Great read. Thanks for the share.
    But what put a smile on my face was that even when this article was talking about spammy selling etc. they were (possibly intentionally) hawking the "new" search alternative to Google.

    There are no free lunches... Everyone has an agenda they are selling you. calling Internet spam and then spreading your message through it seems a little hypocritical... no?
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Worner
    All I can say is...glad I did not make myself dependent on Google.

    Chris
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    • Profile picture of the author JonWebContent
      Originally Posted by Chris Worner View Post

      All I can say is...glad I did not make myself dependent on Google.

      Chris
      There you go. Google is not the only way of getting business. I will never abandon good old fashioned local marketing. I love walking B2B and meeting business owners and handing out flyers/business cards. Shake someones hand like an adult and relate to them on a personal and professional level......that's how you sell, folks!

      Oh, and there's other ways to market online outside of Google.
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  • Profile picture of the author paulie888
    As with anything automated, you have to take the results with a grain of salt - you cannot implicitly trust Google's search results to always deliver relevant and pertinent content every single time.

    There is still a need for that little computer between your ears (i.e. your brain) to analyze and sift through information when browsing through search results. No automated solution can deliver results 100% of the time with a scenario as complex as this.

    People should not blindly trust technology without properly analyzing things themselves first, this is precisely the reason why people drive off the side of the road just because their GPS told them to! So, please use your brains and don't let Google misdirect you metaphorically off a cliff!
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  • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
    I'll agree with the professor on this one.

    Not only are many Google searches resulting in poor results, the results seem to have been on a steady decline for about a year.

    It wouldn't be so bad if Google search was just an "OS" or databank that others, such as Blekko, drew upon and filtered to only provide results from selected and approved quality sites.

    If Google is incapable or unwilling to clean up its search results, let others do it.
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  • Profile picture of the author JackPowers
    Nothing wrong with affiliate sites done right. They often provide valuable content and price comparisons. In many cases they point the visitor in the right direction faster than having to browse several online shops.

    I have to agree, that MFA sites are usually a poor user experience because they are made to be that way. I particularly HATE 'medical' sites monetized with Adsense. I honesly think it is disgusting to try to make a quick penny of other people's illness.
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