Google Suggestion on Searches

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Google Suggestion on Searches

Spelling is One thing BUT Darn

jbgilbert

11:40 pm on Sep 12, 2003 (gmt 0)

Doing a search on "corrosion protection" Google comes back with results and the following suggestion:

"Did you mean: corrosion bridges, cathodic corrosion protection, 3m corrosion, or something else"

Have I picked up a virus or is this something new Google has implemented?

If it's the work of Google, I don't like it...

GoogleGuy

4:28 am on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

It's a Google experiment--we're offering related searches to a small set of users. There's another thread floating around about it too.

WebGuerrilla

5:22 am on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

>>If it's the work of Google, I don't like it...

So what exactly is it about related searches that you find so offensive?

willybfriendly

5:43 am on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

I simply find it distracting. If I wanted related searches I would use TEOMA.

WBF

jcoronella

6:06 am on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

I think it has potential, but I've never found Teoma's particularly useful. I haven't seen Google's try at it, but I know that Google's spelling correction feature is a part of my daily life - I can think of many ways to spell words, but never the correct ways.

(I even just used it to check 'particularly')

percentages

7:07 am on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

I think Google will conclude that the experiment is pointless.....but we will have to wait for that.

The reality is that if Google wants to claim they produce the most relevant results then they don't need to defend them with the related search option....to have that there is almost like admitting that Google know these results are no good, so why not try some that we think will work for you!

Some may see that as helpful.....I see it as defeatist!

Dayo_UK

7:58 am on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

Personally, I just dont like where Google are experimenting with the related search offer.

The screenshot that was displayed a couple of days back just made the page seem to crowded before you get to the results. Which is not Googles image at all.

Perhaps it makes more sense to put it at the bottom of the Serps - Afterall you have got to assume that someone knows what they are searching for and then if they look at the first page of results and cant find what they are looking for the related searches makes sense.

vitaplease

8:02 am on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

Have I picked up a virus?

Yes, its called more work for SEO'ers ;)

Seo-wise, I'd say if you were any good, you'll be ranking high for the relevant Google suggestions already anyway..the non-relevant suggestions will be clicked-on by non-relevant potential visitors.

I find the suggestions less distracting than the colour banners..

dmorison

8:11 am on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

I find it a bit condescending myself! I know what I was searching for - you be the search engine; i'll be the searcher.

As "Related Searches" will no doubt contain similar keywords, this feature is also likely to have an impact on certain Adwords advertisers - with their impression rate increasing and a corresponding lower CTR than advertisers who's keywords do not generally trigger a related search.

killroy

9:30 am on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

I must also add that hte location of related searches on the AdSense ads was much more inconspicious.

Hey, perhaps add them above/below the adwords ;)

But perhaps a more compact disply anyways.

jbgilbert

12:15 pm on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

Nice to see I'm not alone!

Google has done some great things - THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM.

Dayo said: "The screenshot that was displayed a couple of days back just made the page seem to crowded before you get to the results." BOY DO I AGREE WITH THIS. On a 17" monitor only about 30% of the Google results that are returned are generic - the rest is sponsored ads and "Google" suggestions.

bether2

3:09 pm on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

I like the idea of related searches. Some of us may be "expert" searchers and not need this feature. But there are a lot of "non-expert" searchers out there who would benefit from the related searches features. (I do a lot of searching on google, but I still count myself among the non-experts.)

For example, when someone searches on "blue jays" it would be nice if they had an option of specifying whether they mean the bird or the team.

And, yes, the User Interface for this new feature definitely looks like it could use some work - at least from the screenshot that I saw.

I vote a big YES for related searches.

Beth

jimbeetle

3:49 pm on Sep 13, 2003 (gmt 0)

>>I know what I was searching for

But unfortunately many users haven't yet gotten the hang of it. A peek at ATW's last 10 searches [alltheweb.com] always surprises me with the number of one-word and other very general searches.

And as you refresh the page you see some of the same searches over and over again -- people aren't refining the search themselves.

>>searches on "blue jays" it would be nice if they had an option of specifying whether they mean the bird or the team

Yes! It took 11 pages on Teoma to find a non-team reference; its 'refine' suggestions cut that to one click.

G has some refinement of its own to do on the presentation but I think it's a big step in helping users.