Digest

A computer scientist named Mutti Vigman, while searching for a new messenger bag, noticed a decline in the quality of Google search results. He and his colleagues conducted a study analyzing the top 20 search results for over 7,000 product review searches across Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo. They found that Google performed best at filtering out spammy websites, but certain legacy magazine websites with sections dedicated to churning out product reviews for advertising and link commission money were ranked highly on Google. These websites, while numerous and designed to rank highly, were considered low quality and dissatisfying for users seeking informed decisions. Google's search algorithms periodically update to push these low-quality websites down, but they eventually creep back up, creating a constant game of cat and mouse. Google's chief scientist for search, Pandu, acknowledges this adversarial component and explains that Google is constantly updating its search engine to keep results relevant. He assures that Google is not getting worse over time and that they launch thousands of changes every year to benefit users. Google has added measures to identify high and low-quality pages and has spam policies to take action against manipulative websites. Google's core search engine has been using AI-like deep learning since 2015, and the AI overview box, while experimental, has been met with mixed reactions due to its occasional inaccuracies. Pandu believes that generative AI has the potential to increase the scale of the problem of junk websites, but Google is prepared to address it. Despite the challenges, the computer scientist, Mutti Vigman, remains optimistic about the future of search due to increased scrutiny from academics and governments. Ultimately, Google helped him find his messenger bag, proving that despite its flaws, it remains a valuable tool.

Outlines

00:00:00

The Problem with Google Search

This Chapter discusses the decline in the quality of Google search results, as observed by a computer scientist named Mutti Vigman while searching for a new messenger bag. He found that many search results were spammy websites with lots of ads and links but little actual information.

00:01:43

Testing Google Search

This Chapter delves into the research conducted by Mutti Vigman and his colleagues to assess the effectiveness of Google search for product reviews. They analyzed the top 20 search results for over 7,000 product review searches across Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, measuring various properties of the pages, such as word count, image count, and link length.

00:04:27

Google's Response

This Chapter explores Google's perspective on the challenges of maintaining search quality. Google's chief scientist for search, Pandu, acknowledges the adversarial component of search, where content publishers try to manipulate search results. He explains that Google is constantly updating its search engine to keep results relevant and that they launch thousands of changes every year to benefit users.

00:07:26

The Future of Search

This Chapter discusses the impact of generative AI on search quality and Google's efforts to address the potential increase in junk websites. Despite the challenges, the computer scientist, Mutti Vigman, remains optimistic about the future of search due to increased scrutiny from academics and governments.

Keywords

Q&A

• What is the "cat and mouse game" in the context of Google search?

  The "cat and mouse game" refers to the ongoing struggle between content publishers who try to manipulate search rankings and Google's algorithms that try to identify and penalize these manipulative practices. It's a constant battle of evolving strategies and tactics as both sides try to outsmart each other.

• How does Google ensure that its search results are not getting worse over time?

  Google's chief scientist for search, Pandu, assures that Google is constantly updating its search engine to improve its quality. They launch thousands of changes every year to benefit users and have added measures to identify high and low-quality pages. They also have spam policies to take action against manipulative websites.

• What is the impact of generative AI on the "cat and mouse game"?

  Generative AI has the potential to increase the scale of the problem of junk websites, as it makes it easier to create low-quality content. However, Google is prepared to address this challenge and is constantly working to improve its algorithms to identify and penalize these websites.

• What is the AI Overview feature in Google Search?

  AI Overview is a feature that uses artificial intelligence to generate summaries of information related to a user's query. It appears as a box at the top of some search results and provides concise answers to the user's question. While it can be helpful, it is not always accurate and can sometimes generate unintentionally humorous or misleading information.

• What is the significance of Mutti Vigman's research on Google search?

  Mutti Vigman's research highlights the challenges that Google faces in maintaining search quality and the constant need to adapt to evolving strategies used by content publishers to manipulate search rankings. It also demonstrates the importance of ongoing research and scrutiny to ensure the effectiveness and reliability of search engines.

Show Notes