Google search algorithm tweaked to add more timely results

by Kev Hedges (Guest contributor/Digital Journalist)

Google has tweaked its search algorithms to make results more timelier.

The California-based search engine acknowledged that many of the results it retuned were stale. Let’s say you wanted to search for coverage updates or commentary on the weekend’s big NFL game between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, or perhaps this Sunday’s Premier League football clash at Craven Cottage between Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur. You may find your returned results include reports on last season’s corresponding fixture or reports of old classic meetings between the two sides from seasons gone by. What the user really wants is something more real time; such as which television stations this weekend’s big game is showing, who is playing and what is the current form of both sides etc. We have been spoiled by real time, seconds-old updates gracing us on social networks sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Now Google has recognised the urgency to get in on the act. According to the New York Times, Google searches will now be timelier and will affect around 35 percent of its searches.

I road-tested the search pattern “Fulham v Tottenham” and found although last season’s FA Cup clash between the two sides still manages second place, there are still at least two “live” entries which refer to this Sunday’s clash within the top four returned results. Google has said it wants to work out if you are searching for recent material such as the latest news in the Presidential race, or the latest developments in the Occupy Wall Street movement demonstrations.Google will find trending topics, news items that update regularly. So if next summer you search for “Olympics”, rather than get a history of the great sporting event – you may see results on the latest Men’s 100-metre sprint results.

Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Land and an industry expert, said:

This is the result of them saying we need to find a way to more effectively get fresh content up, it does help with the issue of people thinking, ‘Wow, if I need to find out about something breaking, I’ll go to Facebook or Twitter for that.’

However Google does acknowledge that not all searches are based on timely requirements as PC World reports, cook recipes or American Civil War, for example and standard information points in time.The new algorithms could change how search-engine optimisation and news media is displayed and utilised.

This article originally appeared on Digital Journal [Link]