The Future of Google Search - by Amit Singhal

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

The world's most popular search engine is trying to become more intelligent.

Last month Google announced the introduction of the Knowledge Graph in the US - an effort to improve its results by teaching its servers to understand what the words typed into its search boxes mean, and how they relate to other concepts.

It marks a big bet by the firm's head of search, Amit Singhal, who discussed the move with the BBC.

[bbc.co.uk...]

[edited by: tedster at 11:15 am (utc) on Jun 12, 2012]
[edit reason] added quote box [/edit]

[1script]

An interesting tidbit from the interview. He's talking about "a Computer" which in the context can only mean "Google". Emphasis mine:

For example it will be able to tell you for Taj Mahal that it's a monument, where it is, what you should know about it if you are interested in it, and not just a bunch of links.

So, where would the content describing what Taj Mahal is and what you should know about it come from? Would it by chance be scraped from some other site? Or will Google now produce its own content on all of the 200 Million topics in the Knowledge Graph he's boasting about?

Regardless of where the content will come from, they definitely have their sights on a business model that does not include sending any traffic whatsoever anywhere but presenting everything [they think] the searcher needs right there in the SERPs. I guess, it would then be more appropriate to call it a Googlepedia page and not a SERP.

In other words, instead of organizing the world's information they simply want to own it.

[HuskyPup]

In other words, instead of organizing the world's information they simply want to own it.

Well, they've already scraped most of it with impunity!

I just hope they're more correct than loads of the crap they have at the top at the moment since I see some with blatantly incorrect information yet have been ranking for years.

[dstiles]

If I type taj mahal into a search engine I'm far, far more likely to want a list of local restaurants. :(

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

But you cannot be if Google says otherwise. ;)

[realmaverick]

If they're gonna play the game of scraping content and displaying it in the SERPS, to keep the user within their grasp, I for one will be blocking Googlebot from my websites entirely.

The entire web would follow suit and they'd be screwed.

They either send us traffic or lose our content. It's about time we had some power to the people.

We give Google the power they have and hopefully we can take it back when the need comes.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

If they're gonna play the game of scraping content and displaying it in the SERPS ...

That's what they have done since day one. ;)

[realmaverick]

Well, to a degree, but Amit's vision of the future of Google, suggest it may go to the extreme. Hopefully they'll quickly realise they'd not get away with it.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

I am not condoning it BTW. IMO things are getting out of hand. ;)