Google Progresses on Semantic Search
May 22, 2012
The keyword-free Web search may be on the horizon. Search Engine Journal reports on the progress in “Google Testing Semantic Search Update.” Though Google has said a full-fledged semantic Web search is several years away, the company seems to be trying out some changes.
Writer David Angotti describes Google’s plan:
“A team of software engineers has been working to develop mathematical formulas that will extract and organize data that is currently spread across the Internet. The combination of an acquisition and the extraction algorithms have provided Google with an index of over 200 million people, places, and things, which Google simply calls ‘entities.’ This index, which Google named the Knowledge Graph, will allow Google to move away from keyword-based results to true semantic search.
“Once the entities are properly organized, semantic search technology enables Google to measure the relationship and separation between two entities to determine search results and rankings.”
Angotti notices that Google seems to be testing some of this functionality. His example is the query, “who directed The Hunger Games.” The results successfully placed the correct answer (Gary Ross) at the top of the list, and for some users included related images down the right side where ads usually appear.
When asked, a Google spokesperson had no information to share. More changes, though, are expected to arrive soon. We wonder– how will these revisions affect the rankings of millions of sites? Are keyword-reliant SEO pros anxious yet?
Cynthia Murrell, May 22, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
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