Google’s search results have deteriorated

It used to be the case that, even if you had reservations about Google’s business practices, the high quality of its search results was beyond question. It was free, fast and accurate, and far superior to rival search engines, so why would you want to use anything else? But we’re sure we’re not the only web users to notice that Google results aren’t as reliable as they used to be, and its complex algorithms no longer guarantee that the page you’re looking for will be near the top of the list.

Partly this is because Google now prioritises new and ‘trending’ content over older articles from less popular sites that may nevertheless be more relevant to your query. Aside from the inevitable ads and ‘sponsored’ links at the top of search results, you also need to wade through low-quality pages that only rank highly because their creators have mastered the art of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Anyone who runs or works for a website will tell you the importance of SEO in driving web traffic to their pages through Google, and sites that don’t follow SEO rules are penalised in its results. Many of these rules are sensible and beneficial to internet users, such as keeping articles focused and easy to read, using strong keywords to identify the topics covered and linking to relevant internal and external pages – see Google’s SEO Starter Guide at www.snipca. com/41840 (pictured above right)

But now these techniques are well established, some websites use SEO tactics to cheat the system, solely to make money through affiliate links and advertising. Provided a site ticks all the SEO boxes, its pages will be added to Google’s index and search results, regardless of the quality of its content. Devious spammers even copy text directly from other sites just to rise up the rankings. By stressing the value of SEO over everything else, Google has allowed lots of useless clickbait and copycat content to infiltrate its results.