SEL: Does Relevance Equal Popularity on Google?

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Search marketing in the new media era.

October 20, 2004

Does Relevance Equal Popularity on Google?

Lance Ulanoff is clearly peeved that a search for his own name on Google still turns up some results that contain criticisms of an article he wrote almost a year ago.

He argues that Google is confusing what is relevant with what is popular.

This article is almost a year old, yet Google presents it as one of the most relevant results. It's not. There are new columns, more pressing and timely topics, and Google misses them all. So does popularity equal relevance? Not in my eyes.

It's alway unfortunate to have your name associated with a slurr - ask Mr. President how he feels about "miserable failure" - but in this case Ulanoff should concede that maybe Google does have it right. While he may have written many great articles and stories over the past few months, if the masses still associate him with one particular story, who is Google to argue?

Andy Beal | permalink | +marktd |

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