Google Crowdsourcing Search Results
Up till now, Google’s search engine results were based off an algorithm that determined a web page’s placement in search results. This algorithm used a number of factors to rank pages, one of the most important being inbound links to the web page from other authoritative pages. This idea of ranking based off citation was a huge evolutionary change that propelled Google to the top of the search engines.
Yesterday, Google made the next evolutionary change with searchWiki. searchWiki is new functionality that allows users to promote or remove search engine results from Google. While it’s being touted as a way to customize your own search results, there’s more to it then that. If Google decides to implement “promoted pages” as a factor into their already powerful algorithm, search engine optimization will change as we know it. The idea here: citation plus recommendation equals top listing.
How does it work?
Let’s explore how this would work. If I search for fly fishing equipment today (yes, I’m avoiding the running shoes example), I get results of an assortment of online fishing retailers. If I them promote Cabella’s to the top of this list becase I love their site, their checkout process and their customer service, awesome. The next time I search for fly fishing equipment, Cabella’s is listed at the top. But let’s say a very tiny tiny fraction of Google user’s do this. Um, I don’t know, like 20,000 people – I would consider this a micro fraction – Google can then look at that data and in effect say, Cabella’s is a very authoritative site linked to by many other sites and users seem to really like it, let’s place it number 1.
Keyword search results will in essence become top rated sites. The rating will be based off incoming links and user recommendations. This will prevent SEO professionals from being able to game the system. Instead, their sites will have to first rank high and then deliver on user experience. User’s aren’t going to promote sites that don’t fullfill on their respective promises and if the site’s really bad, they are liable to remove it all together.
Gaming the System
This new style of ranking would make the barrier to entry very high for new sites. It’s already high if you’re a new site trying to take market share based off competitive keywords. Usually involving a significant link building process that often borders on unethical. Now, you’d have to have a combination of link building and promoting. As anyone who’s into Digg.com can tell you, gaming promotion is entirely possible and is done regularly. However, the difference is Google’s shear numbers. Maybe, in the example above, they raise the number from 20,000 promotions to 200,000 promotions. A much tougher number to game. For very popular and competitive keywords, the number moves up to 2,000,000 promotions. Impossible to game.
When will it happen?
I’m confident that Google will sit back for awhile and be content gathering promotions and removals. This data will be initially be used for nothing more that personalizing search engine results for any logged in user. If it catches on, they might slowly begin to integrate it into the algorithm. They can easily start with those search terms that have the largest number of promotions and removals. If a search term doesn’t have any user sourced recommendations, they gracefully fall back on to their current algorithm. You know the one that’s gained them 74% of the market share in the US. But if it does catch on, be sure that this will be a historic game changer that will keep Google well ahead of it’s competitors for a long time to come.
