Author: Maria

Search engine optimization or SEO, is supposed to be an organic way for web sites to “earn” high rankings on search engine results through companies like Google, Bing and Yahoo. In the past, this has been done by writing quality content that connects with what users most value and are looking for. Writers use strategically placed keywords to help the search engine’s algorithms index and display relevant content, creating a pleasing experience for search engine users and helping web sites connect with readers who will be interested in their material.

But Google’s practice of sponsored searches has distorted that natural process and sold it to the highest bidder.

I have been looking at search engine queries related to term ” SEO”, technical seo, marketing in Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy , USA, UK, Canada, Spain and have been disgusted as to how these companies manipulated Google and hijacked all digital marketing keywords and phrases in this search engine. They preach about practicing whitehat/ ethical tactics and are good at hiding their blackhat manipulative SEO practices. See an example for keyword “SEO” in Norway. There are a lot of SEO companies in Norway who target keyword “SEO”.  I am criticizing Google search engine’s incapability of functioning correctly in local search. A few years ago Google engineers implemented local search algorithm in universal Google search engine,  but it is not working properly. A broad keyword for example”SEO” should show Norwegian search results for term “SEO”  in Google Norway. The same applies for Google Germany, Google Italy, Google Spain and so on.

There are literally millions of web pages that can be resources to users looking to get better at SEO. But Google’s search results are dominated by some sites, which offer second-hand and second-rate tips for search engine optimization that any novice web writer could share. I’d say that a good 90 percent of the information on these sites is either this poor quality information or self-righteous self-promotion. By rights, these sites should be relegated to the junk pile of SEO how-to options, visible only far, far, far down the list of Google search results. Here is another example:what Search Engine Land’s news doing in Norwegian Google news related to SEO?

Nobody knows better than Google what a graveyard it is even three or four pages in to search results, let alone the deep space that is page 10, 11, or 12 – showing up there is like traveling to a galaxy that’s devoid of human life. But when I search for information about SEO on Google, it isn’t until around page 20 that I start to see authentic, useful information that hasn’t been artificially boosted in rank.

Sure, there always have been ways to game the system and improve your rankings. Unscrupulous users even have created nonsense sites that have done pretty well in search engine results, for a while, but the credibility of the entire system has been based on the idea that the short-term, quick-hit strategies of link-buying and link-baiting would  be found out and flushed from the system.

So what gives, Google? Have you completely given up? Are you satisfied knowing that you are providing the bulk of your users with low-quality and even junk information about SEO, and that only a dedicated few will know enough (or care enough) to dig to find the useful stuff? Is this something I should start to expect when searching for other information, like great Indian restaurants in my neighborhood or the contents of the Constitution of the United States or Norway?

Maybe Larry Page and Sergey Brin need to take a look at their search engine department and find a solution to this problem. Because if Google continues along this path, they should kiss good bye to their credibility as a search engine and start calling themselves a directory of promoted websites.  This is not the way a search engine is supposed to work.