tedster - 9:26 pm on Oct 31, 2010 (gmt 0)

The problem with caring about "the most accurate" results is that it's a judgment call - always subjective and not quantifiable. So Google cares most about "the most useful" results - what their users respond to.

This has been the long time key to Google's profitability, and the two goals are not necessarily at odds. I see no evidence that Google is chasing profit above user satisfaction. Pleasing the user is still the primary goal.

To be sure, profit is a primary way that Google keeps track of how well they are doing. But did you notice that with the new Place Search, the Google Map floats down on the right as you scroll, obscuring the Adwords? That's not putting profit above all else.

And so it is with Traffic Shaping. This is an approach that "should" increase user satisfaction if Google gets it right: the right classifications, assigned and matched, for the query, the user and the website.