What’s the point of search engines? Are they useful tools for accessing relevant and unbiased information on the web, or are they becoming platforms for maintaining the dominance of big-name brands? Google’s alterations to the way search results are displayed on their site have raised many eyebrows, and led some people to believe that the answer may well be the latter.
A couple of weeks ago, Google announced a significant change to their search ranking algorithm. They described the it like this: “For queries that indicate a strong user interest in a particular domain, [...] we’ll now show more results from the relevant site”. In other words, more results from top-ranked sites are listed in response to certain queries (this had previously been limited to 2 additional results from any 1 site). Let’s look at an example. In the old days, a search for “Organic Development” would have displayed up just 2 additional results listed under our website. Since Google’s latest tinkering session, however, there are now - count ‘em - 8 additional results!
In theory, this is a good idea. The more results that are displayed from the top ranking domain, the easier it should be to navigate straight to the part of the site that holds the information you’re looking for.
That’s assuming, however, that the top listed domain is the one you’re after. If not, then these extended results take up valuable space, pushing other results further down and even off the first page. Google claim their new algorithm “will help users find deeper results from a single site, while still providing diversity on the results page”, but it seems to us that you simply can’t do both: deeper results inevitably mean a reduction in result diversity.
Responses in the online community were mixed when the update went live, but has the controversy settled now people have had a couple weeks to get used to the new layout? Apparently not. Some are praising Google for making the process of accessing relevant information easier and quicker than ever. Others disagree, and claim Google should stick to what they’re good at - displaying websites - and leave the issue of navigation the the sites themselves.
Usability issues aside, we think there is a more significant and troubling undercurrent to all this. Google’s decision makes it even easier for huge brands with equally huge digital budgets to dominate searches. Many smaller brands face the worrying prospect of being muscled off the first results page, inevitably leading to a drop in site traffic and a reduction in the generation of new business.We’re not suggesting that Google are being outright malicious, but we do think that the changes they have implemented are a worrying step towards a system of corporate hegemony that offers no room for the little guy.
If you aren’t a multi-national, multi-million pound business, it’s more important than ever to ensure your site is optimised for search engines. Be sure to check out the SEO section of our site for some tips that can help increase your web visibility and take on the big boys!
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