Google Announces The Death Of The "Google Bomb"

Washington Post:

Bloggers, take note: the old-school Google bomb is no more.

That's right, the online behemoth best known for its search engine says that it has rejiggered its legendary and proprietary technology so that online efforts by bloggers to manipulate its top-secret search algorithm to create cheeky, offensive and decidedly off-message answers to searches will no longer work.

"It was fun" while it lasted, said Rick Klau, a member of the Google strategic partner development content acquisition team, at a search engine optimization training session for political bloggers in Washington, D.C., this afternoon. But, he said, "Google bombs don't work anymore."

Indeed, the changes to eliminate Google bombs were instituted more than a year-and-a-half ago. But that hasn't stopped political bloggers of the left and right, who have announced (or worried over) fresh efforts to manipulate search engine rankings as recently as this May (see here) and June (see here, and here).

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[CyberJoe]

What was once a glowing leader in online innovation, Google is now beginning to disappoint in a growing number of ways.

[Moxo]

Yet if you type 'Miserable failure' in the Google search box... you get pages that reference.­.. George W. Bush! Go figure.

[butbutbutclinton]

Algorithm? I haven't seen one since Al Gore last danced the macarena.

[SurrealPumpkin]

I miss typing "failure" into the search hitting "lucky" and getting GW's biography page on the White House web site. Just the thing to go with morning coffee.

[SurrealPumpkin]

Is this why I can no longer search "failure" hit the "lucky" button and get the GW biography page at the White House? That was a great side to my morning coffee. I'll miss it.

[mamacat]

I love google.

[rmreddicks]

Show me the money.

In light of full disclosure: I wish I had bought some google stock - god, I can't stand the name (and am beginning to seriously dislike the product) - back in the back when.

[DarthDerisive]

Oh I thought I was teh only one that was thinking that!!! Just imagine...­5 grand invesment then wouldve been just enough now to......fi­ll up my tank! HA!

[Thad]

From the article: "Indeed, the changes to eliminate Google bombs were instituted more than a year-and-a-half ago."

And yet, somehow this qualifies as news!

[Destin]

Funny how they waited nearly a decade to do this. Interestingly, coinciding with the coming of Bush 43. I guess there's concrete proof that Google must be a neocon backing organization. Otherwise, these "bombs" would have gone to help Obama. And well, Google can't be seen as helping Democrats, right?

[commentguy1234]

Wrong the new Google Bomb is Adsense and the google (get it?) of link farms the have grown like weeds over what was once the best search engine around. Adsense is the new Google Bomb and Google is the new MSN. Funny how things work out.

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

They can change the algorithms all they want to, but George W. Bush will still be a miserable failure.

[Quaoar]

And a dumb m*therf*ck*r.

[RTIII]

Remember, though, while he's an abject failure to us, given the goals he set for himself, he's hugely successful­...
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