Filter specific domains from results...

Remove spam...

[sun818]

I often run across affiliate content that I am not interested in viewing when conducting research. Is there a way on the client or Google level to filter out domains we do not want to see results for? Google already does this for results based on Language and Sexually Explicit Content. I know we can do this in a limited way via -site:domain.com. But if there is a way for us to exclude domains, this would help with the results I see. In turn, Google can collecting this information to 1) review sites users find no value in, 2) profile which domains individuals exclude.

Any thoughts?

[Yidaki]

>review sites users find no value in

I can imagine that we'd see masses of webmasters excluding their competitors from the results ...

Although i agree it could be a feature, i think google should not collect/use this info since it's exploitable to death.

[sun818]

Unless everyone excludes the same competitor, it would be statistically insignificant if Google were to aggregate everyone's exclusion list. I don't see how exploitable a list like that could be...

[ByronM]

Why not use the google api to do this on your own?

I most certainly wouldn't want the ability for mass exclusion based on preferences to be the reason that my site was doomed to failure. I don't run affiliate sites but in highly competitive markets that i work in i could see this going to the extreme.

I think google should just open up the api and algorithms they use so public scrutiny can assist in a better search rather then "public policy" dictating what gets included in search.

[PatrickDeese]

Yeah, I can just imagine how well this will work:

search: Hotels New York +spamfilter

Your search - Hotels New York - did not match any documents.

[sun818]

> open up the api and algorithms they use

That's called trade secret. That will never happen.

What Google chooses to do with the data is up to them. I'm not suggesting Google apply the exclusion list directly to their results. I was thinking more along the lines analyzing user opinions to help Google tweak their algorithm.

> Hotels New York

I would exclude the domains that don't let you click back. ;)