Is it me or is Google going way overboard?

[satch]

I've been reading about the intro of 'Real-time search' in google where it has a box and you see real-time results from twitter etc. If you google 'avatar movie' you can see it half way down the results page.

This is yet another bit to be squeezed into SERPs, is it just me or is google starting to make its SERPs way too overcrowded?? For example if you google 'avatar movie' on the first page of results you get all of the following sections:

- movie function (where you type in your postcode for screening times)
- news results
- real time results
- image results
- video results
- 'add to igoogle' section
- related searches
- adwords on right hand side
+ all of that is mixed amongst your traditional results

Forgetting about being involved in SEO, purely as a user it is starting to really annoy me! I wish they just had large clear links below the search box in the SERPs which said 'news', 'real-time', 'image', 'video' etc and then you could see the appropriate results, rather then have so much in one.

Add in to this googles 'personalized search' which I'm not a fan of and the big G really is beginning to go overboard for me. Most of these functions on there own merit are fine (I think the real-time results is a very good feature!) but having them all rammed in really is not what I want to see!

Am I on my own with this one or does anyone think having so much different stuff in the SERPs is annoying? After all I thought google was all about simplicity!

 

[khalid]

I personally think Google search results pages are becoming too overcrowded with shopping ads, adwords and now this.

If people want to shop they should click on the shopping link imo.

They make enough money and should just simplify things.

 

[aZooZa]

I agree. Google are becoming overbearing IMO.

 

[mat]

Google need to take a chill pill

 

[Admin]

For me Google's original success was based around its simplicity and uncluttered interface on the homepage of basically a search box and not much else, with a simple and easily browsable results list.

They are killing this now.

 

[retired_member13]

I'm guessing that if the public don't like it they'll vote with their mice.. off to Bing or elsewhere...

You've got to assume that G are doing some pretty serious split testing, user bounce analysis and the rest though.

Maybe you're average man in the street likes it?

Can't say I do though...

ty

 

[crabfoot]

The public have yet to realise that Bing is there, in a lot of cases - especially my wife. She actually uses Bing to find Google when she's at work (I know, she is a very sad case).

If it wasn't screwed into IE, Bing would have no chance ... but anyway, take a squint at this
SEOmoz | 8 Predictions for SEO in 2010

for a Google cynic's view.

 

[satch]

take a squint at this: SEOmoz | 8 Predictions for SEO in 2010

Great article! Thanks for that, certainly interesting and I think the author is spot on with most of those. Ive read alot of the comments in the article and the general feeling all seems very much the same as to what G is doing.

You've got to assume that G are doing some pretty serious split testing

Agreed, im hoping they abandon the real-time results in the main SERPS very soon. I searched for 'coca cola', I want info about the company, I couldnt give a crap about the latest tweets people have made about drinking the stuff!!

One thing that Im starting to realise is that with these 'real time results' it seems like G didnt test it out on people or give warning about - just chucked it straight out there. This to me stinks a bit that they are prepared to do this.

And Im wondering what people like my dear old granny must think when shes see's a box of constantly updating info from 'some twitty site' ;-) She has trust in google but things like this will be completely alien to her and appear without warning, that can only be confusing.

Anyway im bored of ranting about this, my point is made

 

[Americar]

Google looks after Google's interests .. what Google see as an improvement in consumer search is in reality the way Google wants the user to behave .. after a time as with all things on the net the user will accept it as the norm ...

As a domainer Google is not your friend ... as a developer Google will make you break you with it's pre-set predictive search suggestions ... the new web history will confuse and befuddle searches as the results that you last searched for will allways appear on your first page results (top 10) eventually Google will totally control users search patterns .. you can turn off web history but does Google tell anybody that ...

 

[Rob_F]

Looks like a cluttered mess to me.

They should put it on a different page. Google "as it happens" or something.

Like a few others in this thread – couldn't give a toss what people are twittering about.

- Rob

 

[gargi25]

well the other way to look at is no other search engine is offering a real time function and there is always the teething delay which i think google will overcome and provide a new and ready to use feature that's useful to us and simpe to us hopefully

 

[crabfoot]

I've said it before - I don't want those popular results. I don't want the latest news. I don't want Flash graphics, I don't want pictures, I don't want the latest games.

I don't give a monkey's doodah about most of what surfaces when I search with Google, Yahoo or Bing - except that the methodology brings me traffic.

I want a search engine that brings me information I need and can use - that does not ignore the deep web, that gives me advice when I have problems - not something that tells me how to telephone a "man who knows a bit about it".

Too often, I find myself looking at a page of rewritten drivel in semi-English when I really want information ...

 

[philipp]

Too often, I find myself looking at a page of rewritten drivel in semi-English

Erm, aren't those generally called 'mini-sites'?

P.

 

[crabfoot]

That's where a lot of the copy ends up, but I'm sure the authors are misplaced politicians - such stunning ability to talk around the subject without saying anything new or original.

There was a Chinese bloke on a computing course I took once who's semi-English was astoundingly good. He wrote everything in a quaint pidgin style, and spoke like that in college. One night I was "out" and found he was in the same venue and hadn't recognised me, because I'd recently shaved my beard off, and I was with friends who were calling me by a nickname. His English was flawless - I thought it was someone else who looked similar until someone called him by name.
Later I worked out that, when he wrote in that pidgin style, he was frequently able to write ambiguous responses to questions - answers which could be taken as correct, when he hadn't a clue! He got his MSc with distinction ...