New Google Algorithm
by Michael
(London, UK)
Algorithmic art - photo by nikrowell (Flickr)
Date of this post - 16th April 2011. The new Google algorithm that took effect on 24th February 2011 has had a negative impact on PoC and other cat and companion animal sites. It has therefore had a negative impact on the welfare of cats. Can we read anything into that? I'll try.
{Note: the impact on PoC is relatively slight at about 10% and possible due to the presence of the Blogger subdomains}
First, I'll try and explain in a basic way what the Google "algorithm" is. It is a mathematical formula that assesses webpages on the internet using hundreds of different criteria to try and determine which is the best in relation to the particular search that is being employed.
So if someone is "googling" "cat breeds" the algorithm will check out all the cat webpages on the internet (hundreds of thousands) that discuss and present the cat breeds and decide which one should be listed at first position on page one of a Google search listing and then which one should be in second position on page one and so one for countless thousands of webpages. You need to be on page one of a search result listing to get traffic via Google, which is by far the most important search engine.
The Google engineers are brilliant and they like to constantly tinker with the algorithm. In reality there is a constant stream of new Google algorithms. Recently the management instructed the engineers to adjust the algorithm so that the sites that copy the material of other sites are listed poorly. These sites should be hounded off the internet because they don't add value to it. They just duplicate information. There are lots of these parasitical sites. We are talking huge numbers here, by the way.
The trouble is that these brilliant engineers don't have complete control over the complex algorithm. This leads to "collateral damage". The good sites get poor search listings instead or as well. Or there is something else going on that we don't know about. Perhaps the problem is that Google simply does not have a handle on the problem. Despite their huge wealth and thousands of top engineers Google struggles to "manage" the internet and internet abuses.
Personally, I feel that that Google wants to promote certain types of sites and gently squash other types of sites. I believe that they have decided to promote techie sites and sites discussing the internet etc. and to undervalue sites that are second level topics such as the domestic and wild cats. This fits in with "world mentality". The modern world is all about economic growth and the biggest area of growth is the internet. It is the internet where Google makes its gazillions of dollars so we must expect it to promote its own cause and profits. Although Google is a pure business it is really a public service. It should be run by a world authority with no interest in financial profit and without bias.
This is not sour grapes. The new Google algorithm is meant to kill of copycat sites, spammy farm sites. Yet it is hurting PoC which is entirely built of unique material. Nothing is copied on PoC but people do copy material direct from PoC. Many other fine sites are also suffering.
Google has a huge responsibility to ensure that the internet grows in the right way. It is a highly competitive market place and webpages are being built by the millions constantly. Most never see the light of day. Building a new webpage and publishing it can be like dropping a coin in the pacific ocean - gone for ever.
Fortunately through hard work plus the support of a fantastic band of people and an understanding of search engine optimisation (how to get the search engines to find and list your pages high up) PoC has done well, being ranked about 60,000 in the world. There are hundreds of millions of sites so 60,000 puts PoC at the top of the cat website tree with Catster.com.
Now, though, once again, Google are presenting a barrier to PoC's improvement and development and there is no apparent reason for this. It is this which makes it hard to live with. If we know we have done something wrong we can expect consequences. But when things change negatively for no good reason, well..
There is one positive that might occur. As mentioned, Google does adjust the algorithms constantly so it may re-adjust it this time to iron out errors.
I am writing this post because people search for "new google algorithm" and there are not that many websites that have tackled the subject. This means this page might get spotted by Google and show up on page one of a search. Now, that would be a result and indirectly it would help cats.
