This should have been done long ago, considering Web 2.0 is all about user-generated content, rankings and recommendation. It would seem odd that the most important web tool of all, Google, still tell you what is good or bad instead of allowing other users to do it like StumbleUpon does.
But now with Google SearchWiki, you can. In fact you should be able to see at the end of each search result the ability to “Promote” or “Remove” any search engine result based on your experience and rating. Any change you make appears in real time, but just for you while you’re logged in to your Google Account. URLs that you promote will move to the top, while the ones you remove will appear at the bottom in a separate column.
However, it’s possible that these real user inputs will go a long way in determining the actual search engine results as displayed by Google. After all, if more users promoted a web page it must be good, right?
I see this as a very significant move to visitor optimization instead of search engine optimization. Plus, you can also leave comments on each result, which you can share with other Google users. In short, you can “review” the sites you like so other users can know if it’s worth their time.
In short, it’s called “Search Wiki” because what you, the user, does is to enhance the Google search results by creating and sharing your choice of high-quality websites.
Visitor Optimization, Not SEO
These new changes are probably the most obvious sign of the future of SEO. While optimizing for search engines can be deconstructed, understood and even manipulated, user input or “visitor optimization” is totally different. Of course you can create a thousand Google accounts and artificially inflate your rankings, but this can be easily tracked and eliminated.
Creating good poor quality content but jacking up the backlinks could have worked for SEO, but not for visitor optimization. Of course you need to produce better content but at the end of the day even that can’t make everyone happy.
Although Google SearchWiki appears to be just another tool for you to get a better experience by using Google Search, I’m sure at the backend some nerd Google employees are watching your every move and tweaking their search algorithm accordingly.
Any comments?
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