eBuzz - Google Sets the Record Straight

Google Sets the Record Straight

Googlebombing (or linkbombing) has long been an amusement for online pranksters, who attempt to cause someone else's site to rank for an obscure or meaningless query. As Matt Cutts et al. note in an essay on Google's official Blog site, "Googlebombs very rarely happen for common queries, because the lack of any relevant results for that phrase is part of why a Googlebomb can work. One of the earliest Googlebombs was for the phrase 'talentless hack,' for example."

But that's all over now. Google has changed its algorhythms to reduce the impact of many if not most Googlebombs. The company was concerned about a public perception that it, in fact, ascribed to the frequently political content and implications of Googlebombing, and so wants to make sure that it's clear that Google itself is not taking any position.

It's an interesting move. The problem is by no means widespread — there have been fewer than one hundred Googlebombs - and most people are unaware of their existence. What is interesting is Google's concern that, in a country where politics have polarized the population almost to the point of stasis, it not be perceived as taking a side. And even more interesting that an issue that really is relevant only to the search community can be seen as being powerful enough to change public perception of a mega-corporation.

Perhaps there's more to search than meets the eye!

And that's our take on the news today!

Click here to return to eBuzz Archives