Google SERPs seem less diverse than ever

[arikgub]

I have been following Google results for commerce keywords for the last 5 years, and I think I have never seen so little diversity across the domains ranking on the first page. For many consumer products (electronics, hardware, home appliances) it is just the same set of domains (big brands) ranking on top.

The emphasis Google is putting on big brands is nothing new, but it seems like the brands boost is becoming more and more pronounced, especially in the light of the recent Panda update.

And I am wondering, hasn't Google overdone it to the point where it is hurting itself? To the point where there is no need to search anymore cause the result is known a-priori?

I believe that personally, as a consumer, I behave in a bit different way than before. Just as I have never used Google when shopping for a book, and headed directly to The Store instead, now I am not using google when shopping for electronic gadgets. I could search, but I know exactly what's there, and I already know the one store that I prefer, Is it just me?

Of course, if looking for "asymptotic equipartition property proof" Google is indispensable, but that kind of keyword is not what brings them money. But if you are out shopping - it is all amazon, bestbuy, target, sears, and after the Panda update, even ebay.

So why shopping with google?

[walkman]

Matt Cutts: Larry, we have no clue about the web anymore. We're overwhelmed.

Larry: Hmmmm...just send them to Amazon, Walmart, Sears, New York Times, CNN...and Google properties. Let's milk it for all we can, while we can.

Matt Cutts: Brilliant!


The next Google innovation will be to place links to major 10 sites in each category and close the search engine completely. Might as well.

[kd454]

Matt Cutts: Larry, we have no clue about the web anymore. We're overwhelmed.

Larry: Hmmmm...just send them to Amazon, Walmart, Sears, New York Times, CNN...and Google properties. Let's milk it for all we can, while we can.

Matt Cutts: Brilliant!


The next Google innovation will be to place links to major 10 sites in each category and close the search engine completely. Might as well.

LOL.. ditto on that!

It is now a big money game, the only people I see that are doing well in my niches are people that spend lots of money for links. And big brands that attract links or link to each other on there sister sites, or buy links by the thousands.

I also notice the big brands can get away with interlinking on a mass scale and Gorg does nothing, if I were to do these they would de-index or give me a penalty.

I am playing with links right now and can tell you Panda love new fresh links from high PR domains :)

[outland88]

That’s why for years nobody has ever heard me clamoring for Google or anybody else to increase the quality of results. Whatever the word quality means. Eventually it would be users rarely looking past the first six or seven results. Google to compensate for this would eventually stack the deck in its favor on the first page. This would end up hurting all small businesses.

What’s sad is for years I received business from over 200 search engines. If sixty weren’t firing on Monday sixty others likely were. I dare say if this were occurring today the world wouldn’t have been crippled by continuous recessions and there would be a nary a foul word in WW. Google, Bing, Yandex, and Baidu are all capable of being “world killers” by virtue of the collected data and its positioning.

[rocco]

Google was really good at finding long queries, now you cannot dig really deep into the web, it seems. I feel like always endin up on the same pages. Somehow the web has become small.

[brinked]

I asked a baby related question, its nice to know that I can get answers for that at amazon as well. I seriously didnt even know amazon had discussions, why do we even need google anymore? Amazon has everything we need.

[jimbeetle]

Somehow the web has become small.

Just can't pass that quote up.

[tedster]

I wonder if any of the data companies have looked at a diversity stat. Right now we can only use our subjective sense of things. But companies like Search Metrics, Sistrix and SpyFu keep very large data sets of week-to-week SERPs for the money terms. They could mine that data and see if there really is a loss of diversity.

Has anyone seen a study like that?