24 Apr 06

Google - Expandable results, shrinking ad revenue?

In Web Development

If you enter a search term into Google, currently you will be presented with the ten links deemed most relevant and either a brief extract from the page or the page’s meta description. And some sponsored listings. Google are currently testing a new expandable results feature which would allow users to view an extended extract (example) from each of the pages listed.

This is great for Google, as they can provide more information directly to their users who will then spend longer on the SERPs and click more sponsored listings. It would be nice for users too; the extended listings probably feature some quick-loading AJAXy goodness and searchers looking for specific information will likely find what they want even quicker. But what about site owners?

My initial reaction is that this could be a Very Bad Thing for anyone with a 'content site', that is to say, anyone who runs a site which exists purely to provide information, rather than some kind of service. Such sites are usually funded by advertising and occasionally through paid subscriptions. If someone's searching for a specific fact and Google's extended listing already contains the all-important part of the article which contains what is being searched for, why would they then click through to the site? Google answered their question already.

To an extent this could be considered paranoia; after all, the short extracts currently on offer already target the area of text containing the search terms. The answer may already be there with the current system. However it's reasonable to assume this would happen more regularly if the extract area is four times longer.

If the content provider (by which I mean the site, not Google) does not get the visitor, despite providing them with the information they wanted, there is a problem. Sure, life's not fair, but if the content providers lose out on visitors then they lose out on revenue. Then they decide it's not a profitable venture and there is a serious decline in the freely available information on the net as excellent free resources become subscription only, or shut up shop for good. Of course not all content sites provide information so that they can directly profit, but if you think about all of the sites you visit regularly I expect that a majority do.

Oops, back in the realms of paranoia a little, I think. Nonetheless, as a content site owner, I am a little concerned about the idea, probably just as publishers were with Google books. It certainly seems like another instance of profiting through information hoarding from the big G, but for now, and since it is still just one of many developments in testing, I'll sit on the fence.

Source: Sharp Seo.

Comments & Trackbacks

No comments have been made on this post yet.

Add a Comment

Commenting is not available in this section entry.