The internet is an SEO landfill • Hacker News Board

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#411

Post by whalabi » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 8:33 AM UTC

lostctown wrote: post #121

I append "reddit" to any query not meant for a productive task. Except now the internet is mostly reddit for me, which kinda bums me out. Especially given the new js-heavy design. In 2019, if I want reliable search about something I know nothing about I must first search on google, then try again with "reddit" appended, then change www.reddit.com to old.reddit.com, then parse through what are often questionable answe…

This.

Most of the times I Google something I get content farm rubbish.

Know also that low paid "freelance writers" are often writing a lot of this information that so many people rely on.

I use reddit queries for things that aren't really critical, say a video game recommendation (try Googling that and see how many "top 17 adventure games" you get)

For more serious things like "do I have lactose intolerance?", I google something like [wiki lactose intolerance]

I do wonder why one of the world's most advanced intelligent systems built by thousands of the world's most intelligent people employed by a company which pretty much explodes in a burst of millions of dollar bills when you tap it lightly can't seem to show us results that aren't full of rubbish.

It's like Google's "discover" feed - it shows me trash news from a tabloid.

Google knows _A LOT_ about me, don't they know I despise tabloid news? Gossip about Kylie's breast cancer? No.

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#412

Post by daveheq » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 12:50 PM UTC

I don't know why this ranked here. This is an overly-simolistic cynical take on SEO and search engines. Get into detail, state examples supporting your assertions. Sure search engines make money on junk SEO, but it's not their primary motivator and at least Google works to diminish junk SEO. Their product just does better and makes more money on quality content; Google knows this and it's why they're still the top player in the game.

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#413

Post by halr9000 » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 1:04 PM UTC

> And that’s what the internet has become. Full of gossip, junk content, paid posts, con articles, click bait links, sock-puppetry, spam, regurgitated spam, free e-books, self aggrandizement, fake followers, fake news, - all designed to achieve one thing - con the Search Engine - and you.

Most of this is junk, but TBH the free e-books don't bother me one bit. I even like a few of the peddlers who deploy this tactc, if the content is any good.

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#414

Post by JohnnyPageviews » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 1:14 PM UTC

nickfromseattle wrote: post #311

This is 100% how search engine optimization works, the consultants are correct. As a marketer, when I search for marketing information on Google 70%-90% of the time all of the stuff on the 1st page generally isn't teaching me anything I didn't already know. But as someone who does this exact thing, I know how expensive good content is - hiring an author to write 3,000 words of valuable information for a reader can co…

Can you share the publisher's name? My company would be very interested in this service.

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#415

Post by dagw » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 1:21 PM UTC

caiocaiocaio wrote: post #14

Google any recipe, and there are at least 5 paragraphs (usually a lot more) of copy that no one will ever read, and isn't even meant for human consumption. Google "How to learn x", and you'll usually get copy written by people who know nothing about the subject, and maybe browsed Amazon for 30 minutes as research. Real, useful results that used to be the norm for Google are becoming more and more rare as time goes by…

Google any recipe, and there are at least 5 paragraphs

I just Googled Peking duck to try something at random. Of the links on the front page, one was to wikipedia, one was to an article about Peking duck, and the rest where recipe sites (BBC Food, Allrecipes, Serious Eats etc.) or serious looking/sounding food blogs that had the recipe front and center. I don't know if it's a geographic thing (I'm in Europe) or if Google has learnt my preferences, but finding 5 reasonable sounding recipes for Peking duck with Google was trivial.

Edit: Played around some more and spotted an interesting pattern. If a look up typical US dishes, like Key lime pie or BBQ brisket, then I got results more like the ones you describe. But looking up more 'international' dishes like Peking duck or coq au vin then the results where almost all good quality recipes.

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#416

Post by JMTQp8lwXL » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 1:48 PM UTC

cylinder wrote: post #404

graeme wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google actively encourages the recipe sites to add the fluff.

Why doesn't Google disrupt itself -- the most concise, cleanest pages that focus on what the user is actually looking for (recipe, not a narrative) should be #1. It's even in Google's interest!

I think their market share encourages them to do nothing. You actually have to offer a good product to grow market share, then slowly run it, then users switch to a new product which originally starts good, and the cycle repeats.

Nobody would start using Google Search in its current format.

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#417

Post by JMTQp8lwXL » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 1:52 PM UTC

ggggtez wrote: post #385

caiocaiocaio wrote: post #14

Google any recipe, and there are at least 5 paragraphs (usually a lot more) of copy that no one will ever read, and isn't even meant for human consumption. Google "How to learn x", and you'll usually get copy written by people who know nothing about the subject, and maybe browsed Amazon for 30 minutes as research. Real, useful results that used to be the norm for Google are becoming more and more rare as time goes by…

>Google "How to learn x" On the other hand, if you Google "How to do X" you will often find a youtube video in the top results. But it will skip the intro and jump right to the important part. Sure there is a lot of garbage out there (e.g. everyone uploading 10 minute videos to hit the YouTube optimzation algorithm) but it does seem like Google does try to cut through some of the SEO garbage to get you the useful inf…

The fact you have to skip the intro to YouTube videos speaks to Google's algorithms. Even if people don't have ten minutes to say about a particular topic, they'll upload it.

When people find out the metrics to getting more views, they become meaningless.

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#418

Post by c0vfefe » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 2:04 PM UTC

LeoPanthera wrote: post #281

lostctown wrote: post #121

I append "reddit" to any query not meant for a productive task. Except now the internet is mostly reddit for me, which kinda bums me out. Especially given the new js-heavy design. In 2019, if I want reliable search about something I know nothing about I must first search on google, then try again with "reddit" appended, then change www.reddit.com to old.reddit.com, then parse through what are often questionable answe…

"site:reddit.com" is more useful, and filters out pages that just happen to mention reddit.

Or even "site:old.reddit.com" if it means that much to him.

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#419

Post by c0vfefe » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 2:05 PM UTC

lostctown wrote: post #121

I append "reddit" to any query not meant for a productive task. Except now the internet is mostly reddit for me, which kinda bums me out. Especially given the new js-heavy design. In 2019, if I want reliable search about something I know nothing about I must first search on google, then try again with "reddit" appended, then change www.reddit.com to old.reddit.com, then parse through what are often questionable answe…

> parse through what are often questionable answers from anon users, possibly still influenced by marketers

I mean, that's Reddit though? No one's making you look there first, it's not "The Internet's" fault that forums are unreliable.

Re: The internet is an SEO landfill

#420

Post by rchaud » Mon, Jun 24, 2019, 2:30 PM UTC

cylinder wrote: post #404

graeme wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google actively encourages the recipe sites to add the fluff.

Why doesn't Google disrupt itself -- the most concise, cleanest pages that focus on what the user is actually looking for (recipe, not a narrative) should be #1. It's even in Google's interest!

It has, and that's mentioned in the article. If you want to be #1 on the search page, buy an ad, because that will always appear above every "organic" search result.

Ads are Google's bread and butter, and has been for the entirety of its existence as a public company.