6 things that Google’s getting wrong. And 1 thing it’s totally nailed
From the we-haven’t-written-a-blog-post-in-a-couple-of-weeks-and-everyone-likes-a-comedic-list Department…
Where is Soho again?
I dunno – if I’m searching from Google UK, I’m not sure why Google would assume that I’m interested Sokcho-si in Gangwon-do. Maybe the brothels are better?
…and where is Whitby?
Yes… yes… I know there’s a Whitby in Ontario, Canada. I can’t work out why Google UK confidentally show me shopping results “near Manchester” whenever I’m trying to buy suspender belts for Valentines day and yet assumes that I’d be popping over to Canada for the weekend when I search for Whitby. Worse still when I ask for driving directions. All it shows me is oceans. Hey Google – there’s a Whitby in Yorkshire. You know – near where I live?
Facebook is best characterised by… semi-naked chicks?
Errr.
Suede shoes. Oh… whut??
Nope. Can’t explain what a scantily clad Sandra Bullock is doing here in a search for “suede shoes”. Or why she’s captioned “one sweet stepmom”.
Getting itself de-indexed for cloaking
HT to Search Engine Land for the amusing story of how Google managed to get it’s own freaking support forum banned from.. err.. Google. For cloaking!
STILL taking years to recognise a 301
You know that 301 thing – as in “this page has moved. Permanently”? Well despite Google recommending it as a panacea for all kinds of woes, they’re pretty laggardly at actually dealing with it. Wimbledon.com has been 301d to Wimbledon.org for like, forever and stuff.
Ah – that’s better. Accuracy.
14 Comments
Gary - http://seorocks.co.uk
Ive noticed google cant calculate the directions between Stockport and Buxton either, its been unable to do this for about 3 months now
Maurice - http://www.kellysearch.co.uk/
Lol I was at a onference in black pool a year or so ago and Google maps had the Imperial Hotel completly in the wrong place. Dont think one of the statf I met who had been caught out by this apreciated the extra 1/2 mile walk carying her heavy suitcases.
For non UK peeps the Imperial is the bigest and best known hotel in Blackpool its the one where all the party leaders stay when conference is held in blackpool.
David Saunders - http://www.abfabwebdesign.co.uk
I reckon local UK County by County “feet on the street” would help here.
Something like trusted editors locally that get some form of reward or compensation for sifting through flagged results.
Good way of getting rid of the spam on Places too.
I’m game in Devon and Cornwall
Love Local
David
Even I think that is good | Doug’s Mouthpiece - Droug.co.uk - pingback
[…] And what about this ranking just for the Fat SEO, Mr David Naylor […]
Mark Eddison - http://www.trussloft.co.uk
“fat seo” …. you gotta laugh. Made my day! (No offence to anyone intended)
Roger - http://www.lisbonapartments.com
And how about this search, bringing up almost exclusively Aussie sites, both with Google.com and .co.uk:
http://www.google.com/search?q=personal+loan+simulator
Andy - http://www.andrewblackburn.co.uk
Hey Paul,
Funky coastline at Whitby, dontcha reckon?
http://bit.ly/dzRlYK
LOL
Craig Broadbent - http://www.fusionunlimited.co.uk/
I’ve seen the Whitby one before, it’s really annoying as I was actually looking for the best directions from Leeds!
This one’s not live anymore but raised a chuckle in our office – Paul Whitehouse’s Wikipedia page appearing in a map listing for the phrase “kitchens Leeds”!!
http://blog.fusionunlimited.co.uk/2009/12/04/google-maps-reach-new-levels-of-irrelevance/
Giles - http://www.uncoverjapan.com
Is this via the .co.uk or .com versions of Google
paul carpenter - http://www.itsafamilything.co.uk
.co.uk…. doubly galling! They don’t even need to do any fancy geotargeting or anything… just assume that I’m looking for stuff in the UK unless otherwise indicated.
İkinci El Eşya - http://www.spotankara.com
fat seo” …. you gotta laugh. Made my day! (No offence to anyone intended)
mark rushworth - http://www.blueclaw.co.uk
lulz thats funny. for some reson Google local seems to think we’re sat in London and not sunny Leeds??? it also annoys me how it returns shopping based search queries for american sites?
and the biggest killer for me is the movement of ‘search within the uk’ toggle that used to sit below the search box but is now moved to the site-bar where NOONE seems to be clicking it as a filter :(((
Lea
google.com.au is no better – local searches get overridden by US locations when the name also occurs over there.
Why they don’t believe me when I’ve clicked ‘pages from Australia’, I don’t know.
Very unimpressed – occasionally I stop to use the ‘Give us feedback’ link, but they’ve not fixed any of those I’ve reported, so I rarely bother.
nick
@Gary looks like you can’t get directions from anywhere to Buxton, but the reverse works (Buxton to somewhere else), as do directions to a particular point in Buxton.
This seems to be because Google’s default point for ‘Buxton’ is the very western end of Spring Gardens – about one car’s length at the mouth of the road where it isn’t pedestrianised. I think this stretch is technically one-way as well (for shop delivery vehicles leaving to turn onto Terrace Road).
So Google doesn’t mind you starting off from this point, as you can turn onto Terrace Road from there. But it won’t let you go to it, as you’d have to turn onto a road that’s prohibited. What they really need to do is move their Buxton place marker a few metres away onto a proper road.