Hey Google, It's Time For a Data Check Up

Information overload and the competition of smaller engines

Editor’s Note: Thank you all for your responses on which article we should run this week between the choices of Google search options or VR headsets. Because the vote was so close, we are running the Google article this week and VR headsets next!

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Photo Credit: Arkan Perdana / Unpslash

Is Google search entering a mid-life crisis and in need of some major changes?

Well, last week, the noted venture capitalist Andreessen Horowitz’s publication Future by a16z published an article entitled “The future of Search is Boutique.” This caught our eye as we had seen a few other articles in regards to frustrations mounting on the use of Google and its effectiveness of answers to search.

The premise of the article comes from the two statements by its author Sari Azout.

“It’s no longer enough to organize the world’s information. It becomes important to organize the world’s trustworthy information,” Azout said.

Later in the article, he added, “The problem, now so drastically different from a decade ago, is not what to read/buy/eat/watch/etc., but figuring out the best thing to read/buy/eat/watch/etc. with my limited time and attention.”

This should be the primary goals of any answer to a search question. The way Google is organized now, due to its advertising-based algorithm, is becoming less and less effective.

Azout makes a fine argument that the future in search lies in boutique search engines that can index and curate in ways that have the researcher in mind while eliminating ethically dubious links that start to erode our trust in the data.

So, what might a curated search look like?

Well, imagine talking to a well-respected expert on a subject and they give you a few recommendations on where to go next to learn more rather than recommendations based on eyeball counts for advertisers that pay for their links to be viewed.

A number of small search engines in vertical areas are starting to appear where search customers seem more satisfied. These include Spaghetti Directory, Thing Testing, On Deck and Tegus, which come from experts or community groups vetted or willing to pay a fee to be part of the group.

In others words, these smaller engines resemble talking with someone you trust to send you the links instead of just having an advertising-based algorithm pop up the search question answers, which yield more eyeballs and create revenue for Google.

Azout doesn’t believe sites that try to do the same thing as Google, except keep your data more private, will succeed. However, we believe just doing a Google search is not enough research. Try combing that with Reddit or Quora questions, and most of us are much more satisfied with the results.

Google is aware of this problem, and you are starting to see them use their Deep Mind AI processes to try and mimic this creator approach and make the search process seem more humanlike and intuitive. It remains to be seen if this matches actual human curators, but the gap is narrowing.

One last item to look at when one is trying to be as effective as possible, efficient in time searching and only relying on trustworthy data. Marc Beinhoff has launched the beta test of a more open-sourced, non-ad algorithm search engine called You.com. Our initial results in using it have made us a believer in continuing to substitute for Google, especially in questions that really need expert advice. It’s worth a look.

Google AI are you listening? Might be time for a check up and some changes in approaches.

For Further Information:

Here is “The Future of Search is Boutique” article referenced above.

Here is how Google is using AI for better search.

Here is a great piece on the new You.com search engine and dealing with information overload.

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Best,

Craig

craiggordon@substack.com

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