|
The speed of Google search can be attributed in part to the efficiency of their search algorithm and partly to the thousands of low cost PC's networked together to create a super fast search engine.
The software is PageRank™, a system for ranking web pages developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. And while dozens of engineers working to improve every aspect of Google on a daily basis, PageRank continues to play a central role in web search tools.
PageRank Explained
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at considerably more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; for example, it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important." Using these and other factors, Google provides its views on pages' relative importance.
Of course, important pages mean nothing to you if they don't match your query. So, Google combines PageRank with sophisticated text-matching techniques to find pages that are both important and relevant to your search. Google goes far beyond the number of times a term appears on a page and examines dozens of aspects of the page's content (and the content of the pages linking to it) to determine if it's a good match for your query.
Integrity
Google's complex automated methods make human tampering with search results extremely difficult. And Google does not sell placement within the results themselves (i.e., no one can buy a particular or higher placement). A Google search provides an easy and effective way to find high-quality websites that contain information relevant to your search.
Google Algorithm September
Each month, the search positioning rankings change as a result of the latest Google algorithm updates. An analysis of the updated algorithms ensues by MVI marketing support team. These changes in algorithm determine our customers site ranking and therefore MVI must tweak clients sites to take advantage of the new algorithm.
In September 2006, the focus of new algorithm changes by Google was on links, and the way Google uses them. MVI has noticed that the searches on Google return new no number #1 listings. I have heard a lot of our competitors and clients sounding paranoid "Google changes their algorithms they control the results".
Yes Google does control the algorithm and therefore the rankings of the websites in there database. Since they charge nothing for site listing, Google can do what ever they wish.
We feel that it is necessary for our staff to understand what Google algorithm changes were, so we can react.
Our most recent strategy is to perform what is commonly call "Google Bombing." There are two versions of Google-bombing, one run by web sites on their own behalf, and one that can be used either humorously or maliciously. In either case, it boils down to having a multitude of web pages all with the same links and with the same key phrase used within the text links, all pointing back at the same page within a web site. These Bombs are incredibly effective at building traffic. One of the most famous examples was when people bombed the phrase "miserable failure", pointing all the links to George Bush. Web users entering the words "miserable failure" into the popular search engine are directed to the biography of the president on the White House website.
The trick is possible because Google searches more than just the contents of web pages - it also counts how often a site is linked to, and with what words. Thus, members of an online community can affect the results of Google searches - called "Google bombing" - by linking their sites to a chosen location. The search engine results from Google can be manipulated by a fairly small group of users, with as few as 32 web pages link with the word.
Companies do this on their own behalf as well. They have affiliates and other related companies all link to them with identical text within the links. If they get enough, Google is led to believe the company's web site is among the most referenced on a particular subject and ranks it accordingly.
Used properly, this can help a truly relevant resource appear properly in the search engine results. Unfortunately, it is often used improperly to manipulate search results or promote irrelevant web pages, thus negatively affecting search results.
While Google, (or any other search engine whose results can be manipulated by this kind of loophole) would like to eliminate this practice, it hasn't been clear on how to go about fixing the problem. After all, a Google bomb link looks to a search engine algorithm exactly like any other link, thus impossible to individually distinguish it from a genuine link.
I believe the search engines will eventually move in a direction to analysis links and the nature of the links. I also believe that any search engine optimization work, which includes linking strategies, must take into account the context within the links. After all, when you receive a referral link from someone, you generally like to know the content contained. Search engine algorithms should work the same way.
|