What does Google know?
C of C professor's study questions sites' rankings
By Diane Knich
C of C professor's study questions sites' rankings
What goes first?
College of Charleston business professor Bing Pan says Google ranks returns based on:
Content: The number of key words being searched that appear on a site.
Whom you know: The number and quality of other Web pages that provide a link to the site.
Quantity: The number of times the site is clicked open.
Etc.: Many other factors are considered, but they are weighted less heavily.
Better search tips
Based on his research, Pan suggests the following to get better returns from your search:
Keep reading: Users should review more than just the top few results a search engine returns.
Branch Out: Use more than one search engine to get different results. Sites don't all use the same method to rank returns.
College of Charleston business professor Bing Pan thinks people might trust the Internet search engine Google a little too much.
Pan and his colleagues conducted research, published in the April issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, on how college students make their selections using the popular search engine. The researchers looked at where students' eyes traveled on a Google results page and which links they clicked on.
Pan conducted the research while he was in a post- doctoral program at Cornell University. The research was partially funded by Google.
Pan said he found that when making a selection, users consider both the content of the site, which they get from reading the abstract on the results page, and the position it holds on the page.
"But position influences people more," he said.
Pan and his colleagues conducted the research by monitoring student subjects' eye movements with an eye-tracking machine while they scanned a Google results page, Pan said.
They found that 85 percent of the students they tested looked at the first item on Google's results page and 68 percent of them clicked on it.
But then the researchers artificially inverted the order of the selections on the results page, so the item Google would have placed first was now 10th, and the item the search engine would have placed 10th was now first.
Eighty-five percent of the students still looked at the item on the top of the page, even though it really would have been ranked 10th, and 25 percent still clicked it open.
About 8 percent of students looked at the previously top-ranked item, which presumably best matched their search, that now landed in the No. 10 slot, Pan said.
College of Charleston senior LaTarsha Ukazim, who was working at a computer in the school's library last week, said she uses Google more than any other Internet search engine. She said her user habits mirror those of Pan's research subjects.
She usually looks at and clicks open the first three or four selections that Google returns.
Using that method, she said, "I usually get what I'm looking for."
She doesn't, however, open sites with a URL that indicates they're from outside the United States, she said. And she looks beyond Google's first selections if she's searching for a common name or search term.
She understands that one of the variables that puts a Web site at the top of Google's selection list is the number of users who chose it.
And she trusts the system. "They have more hits," she said. "That's why they're first."
According to Pan, Google ranks returns based on: the content of the site, that is, the number of key words from the search that appear on the site; the number and quality of other Web pages that provide a link to the site; the number of times the site is clicked on; and many other factors that are weighted less heavily, he said.
Although Pan's research was specific to Google, he said the lessons he learned are that users should review more of the items a search engine returns, not just the top few, and they should use more than one search engine.
Some good and useful sites might be buried low on search results page, Pan said.
Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.
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proud2bme (anonymous) says...
Thanks for the info Doug, I would say Google by far is the first option verbalized when discussing a search engine. Over the past year or so, I have not been pleased with Google. Seems a lot of crap shows up when searching for something.
September 3, 2007 at 8:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawneena (anonymous) says...
Doug, that was a joke, right? Scroogle Scraper takes you straight to Google.
September 3, 2007 at 1:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
I have gotten use to Yahoo and I guess I like the results. Google seems to be a little too invasive - its all I can do to keep it off my PC.
I like Wikipedia for a quick answer - if I was doing serious stuff, I would go to some ref. library.
September 3, 2007 at 2:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
proud2bme (anonymous) says...
I guess Scroogle Scraper was a joke. Oh well, worth a try though. Guess I'll go with the other suggestion.
September 3, 2007 at 2:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawneena (anonymous) says...
I guess old Doug is sitting back laughing his a** off at how many people would actually try his suggestion.
I thought it sounded off the wall, but I tried it anyway.
Very funny, Dougie, hope we made your day.
September 3, 2007 at 3:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
hawneena
Doug is off the wall - I think I know him.
September 3, 2007 at 6:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawneena (anonymous) says...
I believe he may have bounced off one too many walls.
September 3, 2007 at 6:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
hawneena
I think Doug is home sick for Mt. P. I have forgotten what he listed as his current address - something like Washington Isl. Minn. but I don't think it suits his needs -he will be back.
September 3, 2007 at 6:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
Correction - Wisconsin
September 3, 2007 at 7:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawneena (anonymous) says...
You are absolutely right about where he resides. I was thinking it was jonwithnal, but now I remember. They are the only 2 that post their entire names and both post rather odd comments.
BTW, how were your chops?
My Boston butts came out pretty good. No insult intended towards any Bostonians. LOL
Just good old Southern cuisine cooked with a heart healthy twist in mind.
September 3, 2007 at 7:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
Hawneena
Good, but I think I overdid it on the salsa.
New topic
I am sure all low country folks are concerned about hurricane season. I have a site that has good info. - its a little/lot technical but the summeries by Dr. Jeff Masters are good - he used to fly on hurricane hunter planes and in fact flew into Hugo.
wunderground.com
click blogs
click Jeff Masters
September 3, 2007 at 7:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
hawneena
No offence taken. I have cooked Boston butts a couple of times and it was good, but a little fatty. If I had a smoker that would cook at a low temp. and render out some of the fat I would go that way.
September 3, 2007 at 8:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawneena (anonymous) says...
Yes, they are very fatty. I have to manicure all of our meats to remove every bit of fat that I can.
I have been doing that for close to 25 yrs now.
It still didn't keep hubby from having a heart attack when he was only 39.
Sometimes you can't beat heredity factors, but you just work harder to improve what you can control.
September 3, 2007 at 8:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawneena (anonymous) says...
Neponset, I checked out that site. The satellite photo of Felix is awesome. It brings back memories of Hugo every time I see a storm with that well defined eye.
I've watched those shows on the weather channel about the people that fly into the storm eyes. It scares me just watching them. I seriously don't know where they get the guts to do that.
September 3, 2007 at 8:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ParkCirclePride (anonymous) says...
I had never heard of Scroogle Scraper, but it does not take you right to Google. What are yall talking about? It's similar to Google, but without the ads and nonsense. I'll probably stick with Google but it's a good suggestion anyway.
September 3, 2007 at 8:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
hawneena
Check out Dr. Masters bio. and story of his Hugo adventure. Its there somewhere on that site.
September 3, 2007 at 8:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
Is anyone watching the Clemson/FSU game - looks like C. is on a roll.
September 3, 2007 at 8:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MooMoo (anonymous) says...
Yep Clemson is doing great so far - let's hope it keeps up.
September 3, 2007 at 9:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Neponset (anonymous) says...
MooMoo
Every dog has his day
September 3, 2007 at 9:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawneena (anonymous) says...
ParkCirclePride, how did you type it in? I tried caps and small case letters and both times I got Google.
September 3, 2007 at 9:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawneena (anonymous) says...
This is so weird, because I tried it again and got links for scraper blades and equipment.
September 3, 2007 at 9:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
majorjohnson (anonymous) says...
lol...are yall having trouble using scroogle? the address is http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/scrap...
It just does the google search on your terms and then strips out the paid listings and the adverts and a few other things. I use it myself for a lot of searches, as generally I'm looking for information, not pay services or wikipedia entries. If you don't find what you want in scroogle do the search in google and get more results.
September 4, 2007 at 9:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawneena (anonymous) says...
Thanks, major, I think old Doug just wanted to create a bit of frustration for his Labor Day fun.
September 4, 2007 at 10:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MooMoo (anonymous) says...
Neponset,
Sounds as though you speak from experience.
September 4, 2007 at 5:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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