Google Search Evaluator Handbook
June 12, 2018
How does Google shape search results? The pay to play search giant allegedly has a guide for individuals who interact with the automated search system. The information appears at this link. The information dates to 2017. There may be a revision or additional instructional material online. If we come across that information, we will post the link in Beyond Search.
The information is described as “Search Quality Rating System.” A sample from the table of contents for the documentation appears below:
An example of the information provided to the human making quality decisions appears below:
Here’s the guidance for queries about kittens:
In my first Google monograph (The Google Legacy, 2004), I gathered about 100 factors allegedly used to determine “quality” of Google search results. What I found interesting is that Google’s listing has many more entries than I identified 14 years ago.
Quality, it seems, is more difficult to pinpoint today. The rules for relevance, however, seem to have been marginalized.
I do know that in order to obtain useful results from Google, I have to craft my queries carefully. In fact, creating a query for an old school Boolean system is easier to do. Google has added on to what was essentially a key word system by wrapping layers of software around an ageing core.
Worth spending a few minutes with the document in my opinion.
Stephen E Arnold, June 12, 2018
Comments
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
