Comments on: NY Salons have a Bad Hair Day in the Google 7-Pack

By: Nyagoslav

Nyagoslav — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:53:14 +0000

Interestingly, the only “idea” for the Google Places suggestions “moderated” forum that I got a Google reply to was the one connected to the descriptive terms. Here is what Vanessa (the community manager) said:

“One way you can proactively help us generate better descriptive terms is to encourage your customers to write detailed reviews —i.e. what’s unique —about your business.”

Doesn’t that mean the business owners have to actually AFFECT the review?

By: Jim Rudnick

Jim Rudnick — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:42:10 +0000

…what @Miriam said….”new, really…..Google!!!”

apparently not…

Jim

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:38:27 +0000

@Miriam
You were at it late!

It is a curious topic. Looking at these extremes is always enlightening.

It is, as you say, unlikely to affect sales but not necessarily for the reason you think. Anyone searching for “Bad hair salons + City” is unlikely to be looking for a place to have their hair done. If, as I suspect, these search results are being returned due to the keyword-category technology mentioned in the patent, they are showing up as 7-packs specifically because people DO search on the term.

I have no idea how Google tracks these sorts of results and tries to improve them. Whether they are just an artifact of a larger system and are inconsequential in the Google scheme of things is unclear. They very well could be edge cases that affect very little and the net affect of the technology is positive (unless of course you are Salon V ).

By: MiriamEllis

MiriamEllis — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:54:19 +0000

First of all *OUCH*.

This is such a curious topic, Mike. My first thought is that I wonder how many people would actually search for ‘bad hair salon’. I might search for a ‘great hair salon’, but not a ‘bad’ one, unless I was looking for negative reviews as a form of education/entertainment (something I actually do quite often). At any rate, I’m not sure these negative rankings would actually have a negative impact on something like sales, but maybe one of your other readers can explain a scenario in which they would.

That being said, I find it amazing that Google wouldn’t be aware of outcomes like these from whatever type of latent semantic indexing or similar construct is driving these keyword correlations. Are they not paying attention? More important things on their collective mind? The results are embarrassing for them (as well as the innocent business owner).

“After seeing one lousy doctor after another, Dr. Jones saved my life,” puts Dr. Jones at risk for being ranked as a ‘lousy doctor’.

What Dr. Seuss-like nonsense that is. The world is upside down. Now, really, Google.