Google see no evil in a pigs eye

"GOOGLE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. THEY VIEW YOUR BUSINESS AS AN ENEMY and ONLY have their OWN interest at heart," says one SEO. "THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE THE FINAL WAKE UP CALL to what Goog's about."

More:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/07/google_personalizes_logged_out_search/

Earl

 

[UKSBD]

This is been happening for at least 18 months.
Very subtly, not always, but has definately been happening.

 

[UKSBD]

Just to add

A little tip to monitor them doing it.
When searching fluctuate between using an uppercase letter at the
start of the search word.
If you start getting different results it is due to a cookie google has
dropped on you.

You may search 30 or 40 times with no difference, then suddenly a
change, when it does change the only way to go back to the true results
is by deleting the google cookies (not just in internet options, but in
various other places too)

It won't always happen, but when you see it with your own eyes you will know.

 

[Ali-v-8]

I noticed this in January. Every so often you would get maps up even when you have not put a location in. But if you block cookie it won't work.

 

[UKSBD]

Here is somethng I wrote about this at least 3 possibly 4 years ago.

http://www.uksmallbusinessdirectory.co.uk/strange-goings-on.html

Initially I thought it was uppercase related, but after lots of testing
I conluded it was cookie related and case differences were just a way
of triggering things and highlighting them better.

It was hard to believe and hard to explain to anyone, you really had
to see it with your own eyes to get the full picture of what was happening.

 

[irishguru]

Google said themselves they want to move from any Jurisdiction. Says it all really.

 

[fisicx]

Crikey why is everyone getting so hot under the collar. Cookies have been tracking your browsing for years and some advertisers already deliver adverts based on you browsing habits. The fact that google is trying to give you rersults based on your past history is nothing really surprising.

It's not difficult to manage:
1. Don't accept cookies.
2. Don't use Google.

Personalised/local searching already means that everyone's SERPs are already different and should mean a move away from pure SEO activities towards general marketing (which in any case can be more profitable).

 

[directmarketingadvice]

"GOOGLE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. THEY VIEW YOUR BUSINESS AS AN ENEMY and ONLY have their OWN interest at heart," says one SEO.

I think the correct verb is "whines", not "says".

Dear me, Google is tailoring the results they produce in order to be more relevant to individual users. How could they? The monsters!

I think the next shocking* revelation about Google will be that it's a limited company and it's shareholders want (a) higher profits and (b) to maintain it's advantage as the world's #1 search engine.

Steve

(* shocking to SEOs, not to normal people)

 

[UKSBD]

The clever SEO (unscrupulous) will turn this to their advantage

 

[Ali-v-8]

Already have done .
Part of being a good seo is always thinking one step ahead of the rest.
UKSBD is going to have a massive advantage over everyone else mind you as he has his own business directory.
He will be able to manipulate maps with ease.

 

[UKSBD]

you're talking at cross purposes

We are talking about cookies used in generic serps

 

[fisicx]

And?

So google is modifying it's cookes to reflect the sites you search for and click on, where the evil in this? I really don't see what all the fuss is about.

 

[UKSBD]

because it makes it easier for the punter to be conned for one.

 

[directmarketingadvice]

because it makes it easier for the punter to be conned for one.

Conned by whom? In what way? And to what end?

Steve

 

[UKSBD]

Scenario:

Monday

Punter to SEO:
I want to be higher in google can you help

SEO:
I've just looked at your site, you are currently bottom of page 3 for
"Blue Widgets", go and search for it and have a look at your page that ranks. Give me a couple of days and I will get you on page 1.

Tuesday:
punter to SEO:
Still no change:

SEO:
Do the search now and look at how the page is, do the search this
afternoon and see the changes I have made.

Wednesday
Page is now top 3 in google (on the punters pc)
Punter to SEO:
Wow! you're brilliant, can you do the same for my other keywods?

SEO:
Sure, it's not cheap though, I put a lot of time and effort in to that.

 

[Ali-v-8]

lol but you gained trust by achieving his result.

Scenario:

Monday

Punter to SEO:
I want to be higher in google can you help

SEO:
I've just looked at your site, you are currently bottom of page 3 for
"Blue Widgets", go and search for it and have a look at your page that ranks. Give me a couple of days and I will get you on page 1.

Tuesday:
punter to SEO:
Still no change:

SEO:
Do the search now and look at how the page is, do the search this
afternoon and see the changes I have made.

Wednesday
Page is now top 3 in google (on the punters pc)
Punter to SEO:
Wow! you're brilliant, can you do the same for my other keywods?

SEO:
Sure, it's not cheap though, I put a lot of time and effort in to that.

 

I think the correct verb is "whines", not "says".

Dear me, Google is tailoring the results they produce in order to be more relevant to individual users. How could they? The monsters!

I think the next shocking* revelation about Google will be that it's a limited company and it's shareholders want (a) higher profits and (b) to maintain it's advantage as the world's #1 search engine.

Steve

(* shocking to SEOs, not to normal people)

A quote from the article Steve not my opinion.

Still I would not count on the cost of PPC not going up a tad.

Where as us Guru's get it all for nothing but our pure unadulterated genius allied to our modesty.

Earl

 

[LibertyMarketing]

This is going to make it a lot harder for new sites to luck their way into high SERPS positions. It's great news however for sites like eBay, Amazon, etc that we all visit often.

2010 is going to be an interesting year for us SEOs.

 

[KM-Tiger]

Where as us Guru's get it all for nothing ...

But for how much longer.

If it becomes that PPC is the only reliable way of being on page one?

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Google are using a lot more signals now for ranking than ever. A smart marketer can hoodwink G into thinking that a site is highly relevant chronologically, via the use of social marketing!

This is nothing new,

 

[directmarketingadvice]

Still I would not count on the cost of PPC not going up a tad.

The cost of PPC is determined by how much money people make from visitors from that search phrase.

The key is to have a higher visitor value than your competitors. If you can do that, there's not much to worry about.

Steve

 

The cost of PPC is determined by how much money people make from visitors from that search phrase.

The key is to have a higher visitor value than your competitors. If you can do that, there's not much to worry about.

Steve

I would have thought it was also related to how much money google can make.

Earl

 

[directmarketingadvice]

I would have thought it was also related to how much money google can make.

Nope.

Steve