Are Web Researchers Tired of Google Search?

1. 61

   Xenonlitposted 12 years ago

   Google's various tweakings of the Panda search algorithm has not given us better quality in search results. Yeah, the changes are devastating to those of us who write original content, but the content that we need is getting even harder to find!
   
   I find that the content aggregators, the bane of a news researcher's existence, are now at the top search results. The problem is that Huffington Post and other web bot content skimming sites are staying stay the top of the search results.
   
   But the actual content moves and is impossible to find!
   
   I thought that Google was supposed to be cleaning up links to sites that promise one thing, then turn out to have something else!
   
   Is anyone else sick and tired of finding bad rehashes of the same content, or links to content grabbing pages that do not give up the information that we are looking for?

   replyreport
   1. 88

      lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I am one who never uses yahoo but now I go to yahoo. Real quality comes up there not always but more than the present google.

      replyreport
   2. 67

      diogenesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Good question.  I'm not qualified to answer it.  I do know I'm tired of the whole charade of Adsence...Bob

      replyreport
2. 61

   Xenonlitposted 12 years ago

   Thanks. I'm going to start exploring Yahoo, Bing and some other services.

   replyreport
3. 77

   Mighty Momposted 12 years ago

   I've had this frustration with Google for a long time.
   If people start using other search engines regularly maybe Google will get the hint.
   Monopolies suck.
   

   replyreport
   1. 88

      lobobrandonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yup that's true, but everyone doesn't know about the Panda they just think that there isn't good info on the web.

      replyreport
4. 60

   jgiecekposted 12 years ago

   I use to use Yahoo over Google way back when the dinosaurs ruled the Earth, it was a good search engine.  I then got lured away by Google. 
   
   I think a big problem anymore is that Google and other search engines and their whole 'sponsored hits'  Sometimes, you don't even know they're a bought for ranking, they just show up at the top of the results.
   
   Doesn't mean they aren't good hits but their might be better results buried 10k pages in that you won't discover because really, do you want to sift through 10k pages of results?
   
   Well, I might, but I'm a research geek, loves it!
   
   And of course, with their new system, actual good sites have been dropped for whatever reason, and 'Crap' link farms and such are still gaining results, even though, by Google's rules, shouldn't be.
   
   I still use Google but have started using others such as Bing.

   replyreport
5. 0

   Arlene V. Pomaposted 12 years ago

   I agree with Mighty Mom.  To me, Google takes the fun out of writing, and I will be venturing out like you to Yahoo, Bing and whatever's offered out there.

   replyreport
6. 85

   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   I use duckduckgo - fast, friendly, efficient. Just like Google were when they started out. My trouble with the other search engines, yahoo in particular, is that they keep serving me up the Spanish version even when I type in dot com. If I wanted yahoo.es I'd have typed in yahoo dot es so as far as I'm concerned, any search engine that does that can sling their hook.
   
   Google, as well as serving up poor results, are very heavy and slow these days.

   replyreport
7. 74

   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   I also find duckduckgo fast. However, the speed may well be due to the fact that they only serve up a subset of search results. As someone stated earlier, the really valuable information can well be buried deep down. When I did my library/info. studies PG course, I was taught that it is often necessary to go through many pages of search results. If I am looking for something important, I will usually scan the first 100 pages or so, and then look at every 5th-10th page after that. Unfortunately, duckduckgo does not supply all those pages (unless there is some hidden setting that I have not found).

   replyreport
   1. 85

      IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Now you have me confused. I usually find exactly what I was looking for in the first few results.

      replyreport
      1. 74

         WriteAngledposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Well, since it is possible to tweak content so that it gets higher up the search results, the corollary is that valuable information being produced by people without SEO skills may well never make it anywhere near those first pages. I've sometimes found the most useful nuggets of unique information way, way down the page list.

         replyreport
8. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

   It will never stop as long as people are being told they can make money online. I had an email before Christmas from an online marketer about his way to make millions online in 30 days. It cost over $2000. for his material. Who falls for this stuff? How can anyone possibly write a unique, original article that tells us anything new about how to make money with Google.
   I think they should be blacklisted and added to the over saturated category on HP.

   replyreport
9. 88

   DonnaCosmatoposted 12 years ago

   As a direct answer to the question, I'm more than tired of Google search...I can't afford to waste my time sifting through the trash to find the few nuggets of authoritative references that my write for hire clients demand. I was using Bing with some success but there is a dangerous downward trend in  quality there as well. I'm grateful to those who posted about duckduckgo and I'm heading there to check them out.

   replyreport
10. 89

    cheryloneposted 12 years ago

    I have stuck with Yahoo through thick and thin and have always enjoyed their information.  I will, however, check out duckduckgo, I have never heard of that one.  Maybe between the two I can get better results. 

    replyreport
11. 77

    Mighty Momposted 12 years ago

    This may be an overbroad question, but when the serious researcher say to look "way, way down the page list" do you believe there is any validity/merit to just ignoring the first (for example) five pages and starting your real search on page 6? Or on page 20?
    It seems to me that we are going backwards in terms of finding relevant information QUICKLY on the web. That has been my bone of contention for a long time. It's wasting more time (and mine is billable) than it's saving!
    MM

    replyreport
12. 83

    psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

    I do a lot of research for my job and I still use Google, especially Google Scholar, on a daily basis.  I don't know of a better search engine and I have tried them all including yahoo and bing.

    replyreport
    1. 74

       WriteAngledposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I use Google Scholar too. However, since a lot of my work-related research is in medical and related fields, I tend to get better results going straight to PubMed.

       replyreport
13. 82

    Pamela N Redposted 12 years ago

    Google bases your results on what they "think" best fits your search history. What you pull up will be different than my results and any other person that puts in a request. It's part of why sometimes if I am doing research for an article I'll use another engine such as DuckDuckGo.

    replyreport
14. 89

    JayeWisdomposted 12 years ago

    I've stopped using Google exclusively when doing my own research because I've been "re-directed" to junk sites too many times. I use Yahoo and Bing, but will now try duckduckgo to my arsenal of search engines. Thanks for the recommendation!

    replyreport
15. 88

    Stacie Lposted 12 years ago

    I agree that Google is getting too big and when they direct your search to their self interest topics,then other objective search engines should be used..

    replyreport
16. 60

    bruzzbuzzposted 12 years ago

    I read that Apples Siri is the biggest threat to Google search engine than anything else and that they are at least 2 years behind the technology that Apple has. The writer claims that Google is truly afraid of becoming irrelevant as a result. I think it is good and maybe Google will start treating people more fairly.

    replyreport
17. 64

    jcmayer777posted 12 years ago

    I might get flamed, but I think it is easier to get good results since all the updates. 
    
    Nothing used to frustrate me more than trying to find something like current NFL rushing leaders and getting results from 3 seasons back. It served me no useful purpose to know the top rushers from week 14 in prior seasons.
    
    I guess it probably depends on what type of searches you're doing. 
    
    Someone mentioned duckduckgo earlier.  I really like them as well.  I am not big on Yahoo and only tried Bing briefly and wasn't impressed.

    replyreport