Google has implemented a change in its search results that many people are not happy with. Called “Search Plus Your World”, it pushes Google+ results towards the top of your search results, even if they are not as relevant.
Google is used by most people over other search engines because it is excellent at returning relevant results. Google+, the company’s foray into social networking, has gotten off to a solid start, but adoption by the public is currently lagging behind Facebook and Twitter. Some argue Google is attempting to change that through this new search format.
One journalist discussed the changes when he searched for information about Justin Bieber. Results came up first for the artist’s official page, then several results for images from the journalist’s network, including comments from his Google+ friends. At the bottom, half way down the page, was Bieber’s Twitter page. With 16 million followers, Bieber is popular on Twitter, and the page should likely have come up much higher in the search results if relevance was Google’s first priority.
In a survey of 2,000 Mashable readers, the question was asked, “Would you prefer that Google, etc. go back to their old ‘natural’ search methods or do you find that inclusion of this data makes it easier to find what you’re looking for?” Sixty-three percent said they do not want social search results.
It will be interesting to see where Google goes with this new endeavor.
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