Google getting USELESS and INCONSISTENT !!!

jimbo45 · 13 Oct 2014

Hi there

Is it just me or is the google search now getting too unreliable and inaccurate to use.

I did a search on "Converting VMWARE to HYPER-V" as I wanted to see if there were easy ways to convert VMware workstation VM's to HYPER-V Vm's without having to create and install the VM again - and I could use existing VM's.

So search leads me to a link. (scr shot 1)

Clicking on the link the article states categorically that it CAN NOT convert VMware workstations. (Scr shot 2).

So Google what's up - we haven't got time to waste being supplied with INACCURATE articles referred to by the link. The Ms article is fine but GOOGLE should not have referred me to the link as the article states that it can NOT do what I asked in the search query.

Cheers
jimbo

lehnerus2000 · 13 Oct 2014

I had to do SEO as part of my Web Design course.
I blame it for search engines being basically useless these days.

I regularly click on SRP links that take me to pages that don't contain the search terms I entered.

You used to be able to use quotes, "+", "-", etc. to filter the results, but they don't seem to work any more.

Of course the ridiculous number of pages on the Internet doesn't help.

jimbo45 · 13 Oct 2014

Hi there

The amount of money Google is earning should force them to re-write their algorithms -- even with the ridiculous number of pages on the Internet it should perhaps offer the first 20 most relevant links and then you can scroll more or obtain more pages if you need to.

I'm not sure how some of the modern mathematics works but there are decent algorithms these days for retrieving queries from very large databases. For instance (OK the number of pages is far less than on the Internet) but a complex query from say THE PATENT OFFICE will return decent answers in a short time. I know that any FREE TEXT search is probably HATED by developers as it's incredibly difficult to do well especially if there aren't any well defined "key fields". However there's no excuse for returning INACCURATE information. That just wastes everybody's time.

Cheers
jimbo

lehnerus2000 · 13 Oct 2014

You have to pay for the "good" SEO algorithms.

DavidE · 13 Oct 2014

When I'm not satisfied with search results (any search engine) one page I go to is Google Advanced Search:
Google Advanced Search

Looking at the OP I don't understand the issue ...
It seems to me the page shown in the screen print is correct/relevant, but not the desired answer ???
Is that the issue ?

The OP states a search for "Converting VMWARE to HYPER-V".

Did your search include the quotes or not ?
I get different results depending on this, and that's where advanced search is nice ...

CountMike · 13 Oct 2014

Somehow I don't think Google should or could be held accountable for accuracy on sites that are not their own. After all Google does not search intelligently enough (we are too far for such an AI ) to check for accuracy of the content and different ideas expressed therein or indeed even raw data, there's just no capacity for something like that. Even stuff in places like Wikipedia and such is to be taken with large grain of salt. They (even encyclopedias) are known for wild inaccuracies let alone what's supposed to be just a list of places with words searched for.
That being said, I think we are putting too much fate in Google and internet as a whole.

alphanumeric · 13 Oct 2014

I get tired of the first half dozen or so links being to fake sites that just try to suck you into downloading something you don't want. Do a search for say Adobe Flash Player, or AVG Free, or a driver for your HP or Dell PC. It's no wonder there are so many PC's loaded with male ware etc.

CountMike · 13 Oct 2014

alphanumeric said:

I get tired of the first half dozen or so links being to fake sites that just try to suck you into downloading something you don't want. Do a search for say Adobe Flash Player, or AVG Free, or a driver for your HP or Dell PC. It's no wonder there are so many PC's loaded with male ware etc.

So true !!!

unifex · 13 Oct 2014

Very often a search for some brand name returns a multitude of stores, price comparison sites, even review sites, but the actual manufacturer. This is very annoying.

CountMike · 13 Oct 2014

unifex said:

Very often a search for some brand name returns a multitude of stores, price comparison sites, even review sites, but the actual manufacturer. This is very annoying.

Yes it is but that makes them money