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| ...you can customize search results based on the content of your website. Simply fill out a profile based on your site's content, generate the search box HTML, and then paste this HTML into your pages. Users who search from this search box will have the option to "flavor" their results based on the profile you've created. |
why didn't they combine this with the new adsense websearch?
Sid
This will make spammer-SEO keyword loading 1000x harder, since it will dilute any "top rankings" and spammers will have to test thousands of permutations of personalization.
Now I just need to start optimizing for all of these new flavas. Or do I? This could actually open up new terms for me. Previously the one word terms were harder to rank well for and had bad conversions thus making the extra effort not always worth it. But now with this flava feature the conversion should be better and easier to rank well for the people I care about.
Seriously, why not skip google and just link directly to your competitors instead? If you are going to give away traffic, why give it to google?
What are we missing? What is the value here?
Noticed that. No apparent use for it on my sites; I'll stick to site searches.
google.com/search?domains=webmasterworld.com
Assuming the search ties into the Google Adsense revenue
This is what other se's refer to as, "the Google pogo stick" effect.
If someone clicks on one of the 4 boxed ads, aren't they credited to my adsense account? I mean, let's say I have no real competitors since all I have on a certain site is information for attracting traffic.
"Customizable filters. Filter competitive ads from partners with whom you have exclusive relationships, or others you want to block. "
and
"Customize search results to fit with the look and feel of your site, and profit from clicks on AdSense targeted advertising that appears on search results pages."
This might hurt niche directories.
From a site owners point of view, I also do not see why anyone would want to use this. Who in their right mind would want their users to visit other related sites?
The only ones who will probably have an interest are those who are scrambling for gmail addresses and have pure content sites where exit traffic is not a concern.
Lots of sites that aren't trying to make a profit, such as educational or informational sites, would consider it a benefit to give their users personalized search for their topic area. Visitors certainly appreciate it too. :)
I can see the school of thought of "never send my visitors anywhere else but my domains," but I think many searchers appreciate, value, bookmark, and return to sites that offer services like this. I'd say that folks can try it out and play with it; if they don't like it, or are concerned it might send a visitor to a competitor--don't put it on your domain. Some site owners will find that this will improve their users' experience and decide to use it.
Yes, like Google :)
I think many searchers appreciate, value, bookmark, and return to sites that offer services like this.
That's certainly true of information sites. It might not be as true of a highly focused e-commerce site that's geared to once-in-a-decade purchases.
I can see the school of thought of "never send my visitors anywhere else but my domains," but I think many searchers appreciate, value, bookmark, and return to sites that offer services like this
Such as..I can see the radio button option, "Search Yahoo" right below the search field in Google, maybe even set as default...?
Why not offer MySite searches as default? Only if the site has no result for that query, offer regular Google results as alternative, that would make Google popular, me thinks..or charge a fee per search for getting the insite exclusive?
Not sure if there's a "search my site, then as a fallback search the web automatically," but using that option lets users choose which search type they prefer. And of course you could use our Web API to do a site search and a web search and blend them however you wanted. All of this is basically offering options and short-cuts that site owners might like to try and use, but hopefully only if it adds more value to that site for visitors.
Are we slowly and incrementally moving towards my not to humble visions in this article
[webmasterworld.com...]
Each search has a $ amount on it, probubly maybe 1/2 cent or a low value.
For adsense, impressions did not cost publishers, but clicks were good. Now, fraudsters can repeatadly abuse a search feature to generate false searches, easily with a script, costing adsense publishers.
It would be very easy for anyone who knows any web programming to make a script that repeats a search using various strings from a proxy, the searches do not look fraudulant as the IP is ever changing, as is the search string.
Where in the past repeated impressions did not cost anyone anything, they now can reduce earnings from previous (or future) clicks.
Now, along with invalid clicks, publishers who use this have a new reason to worry, false searches costing them all the earnings they make.
I think it already is, based on my experience with multi-themed sites and highly manipulated individual pages.
As for Chris post pbefore this one, I think that is already the case with AdSense payouts... more volume = lower payouts.
Could someone please explain/point to url?
added:
OK, found it. For those with the same question:
[webmasterworld.com...] #40
backed by [webmasterworld.com...]
I am not going to ad the search box until the look is modified to be less in your face and more professional.
I know that this is a young program and that the look will improve with time.
Overture sucks, Google is great because it's ads are more subtle yet just as effective.
What is wrong with simply mirrorirng the look and feel of the regular google?
What is the benefit of such a glaring paid search result?
It looks like this "add themed search to my domain" is a great way for Google to find out what themes webmasters think their domains are about.
As soon as this feature rolls out over the internet it will help Google improve it's search results and theme related search options...
And the best: all of that is done for Google for free by us webmasters...
cheers, jez
For example, exclude all travel sites when searching for a location - handy when looking for information about a place (history, culture, religion etc) without having to wade through a million spammy hotel directories.
And of course you could use our Web API to do a site search and a web search and blend them however you wanted.
Yes the Google API offers nice opportunities for site search, I wonder if there is a way of allowing more than 1000 queries a day? (lets say for larger sites such as this one..)
I think the point is that it opens up the possibility of a new type of website. Imagine independently owned Google clones where the owners gather personal data to help their visitors get better results (especially if they could add the inverse theming mentioned earlier to knock out off topic areas).
So how about GoogleforCatOwners.com
You have a basic template for viewing the web - ie a mention of a jaguar probably wont mean the car. You then add personalisation and you end up with a dedicated audience who love your new service.
What does this mean for SEO? I would guess that if a handful of these sites become really popular, you'd have to optimise differently for each of the different types of webs that emerge - associated with each gateway.
What kind of webs will emerge? My personal favourite has been the Myers-Briggs webs - 'do you surf the thinking web?' :) Or as I thought in an earlier thread, you may get this split between context-able webs and personality-able webs.
Googles using the market to find out what works personalisation wise (v. smart) - its effectively outsourcing personalisation to the people who are connected to the audience.
Plus they're loading the main responsibility for getting and handling the personal data onto others.
Whats the benefit for Google? Remember the personalisation slider? All this testing will allow you to 'slide' from normal Google results to pre-judged, pre-working personalised result areas/sets, and back again.
Which will improve the main results, which will improve the personal results, which will improve the main results ...
The personalisation slider took me completly by surprise, what a great way to do it, but how to implement it? - Start up Google clones where its in other peoples interest to refine personal questions/ give feedback etc ...
I wonder if GoogleforWebmasters.com is free ... :)
