23 replies to this topic

[kensplace]

Google announcement

Will this be google attempting to compete with wikipedia?

Are google expanding, so instead of mainly adverts, and the search engine thing they run on the side, are webmasters now going to have to compete with  'google' content?

Im not sure I like the way google is going, telling people what and how they can link, how to code links, copying books without regard to copyright etc, and now they are going to be competing against existing type sites?

[bobbb]

are webmasters now going to have to compete with 'google' content?

I wonder if the webmasters will stand a chance against 'google' content. seems now it will be google 1-2-3 and Wikipedia 4-5-6.

Will the other two engines rank them on top?

Hmm wonder if Wikipedia will stand a chance. In any case there is not much we can do about it.

[bwelford]

I fear you are both right. It looks as though you either join the Google party with all that that implies, or you stay out in the cold.

[bobbb]

In a way the competition should be positive.

To get a foothold G will try to make sure that its info is correct and Wikipedia will certainly try to hold on to what it has as far as market share. http://wikileaks.org...propaganda_team

Would be nice to see Britannica get involved in this.

[EGOL]

This is good news and bad news.... bad news is that there will be two powerful content sites in the SERPs.... the good news is that they will split available links.... So if you can get strong hold on your niche now.... you might be able to hold them off... but your content better be fantastic enough to get more links than either of them in your niche.

[SEOigloo]

To get a foothold G will try to make sure that its info is correct

Bobbb-
I'm reading this differently. Rather than stating that Google is attempting to impersonate an encyclopedia (a la Wikipedia) the Google doc linked above says they want opinion to be included in the writing - in other words, bias. Additionally, it says it won't be edited.

So, doesn't these mean one could go write that the world is flat, publish this opinion, and Google won't 'correct' it?

If I'm reading this correctly, I can just imagine the kind of confusion this will cause for average users. People still believe Wikipedia is accurate, and no doubt, with the Google brand stamped upon it, Knol will appear to many users in the same light. Wouldn't you say?

Egol-
So, say you have a content site for which you are ranking #1 for key phrases. You aren't outranked by Wikipedia, but are feeling nervous about Knol. What would you say would be the best strategy? Make sure you write the killer Knol document so that, if you get knocked out of first, your content is still what's topping the SERP's, even if more circuitously? Or, link build and hope Knol doesn't pass you up? Obviously, one could do both, but do you see one route as smarter than the other? I'd like to know your opinion on that.

Boy...this sure is going to be interesting!
Miriam

[eKstreme]

See, this kind of behavior annoys me. Google rose to prominence because it wanted to index the *world's* information. That is, it was focused on providing a tool that would understand the world's content. Ambitious, yes, and we're only 1 centimeter down that road, yes, but it was better than anything we had before when G launched in 1998.

The content which Google is indexing is yours and mine. That is, the world, as they claim. They were never content producers in any significant measure for a long time.

The first Google-produced content is the Google Calculator. If you use it, you never have to leave Google's site. Google retained you as a visitor 100% throughout that session.

Next up were the improved snippets. Sometimes the snippets are good enough that a searcher skimming the SERPs would get the answer they wanted.

Then Google News struck a deal to syndicate news on its own. Everyone called this the first time Google produced content.

Then we have this. Where "authorities" get to, essentially, blog, at their own pace and can choose to make money or not.

This is wrong on two levels:

1. Google is now competing with the very same people that populate its index. I'm surprised there isn't an outrage right now. Come on folks, get off your mulled wine and raise hell!

2. There is a strong danger of disseminating false information. The science blogosphere has a problem described as "blogging from authority". The exact same situation applies here. I wrote up my thoughts about this topic on my science blog. Depending on the subject (like medicine) knol can actually be dangerous.

Very stupid move. I hope they kill it now.

Pierre

[Autocrat]

At the end of the day, they are a business, and we all know they love to make money, regardless of how they are doing it, whether it is unfair to their "clients" etc.
As has been mentioniend in the past, they do not charge to rank your site, they do it for free... they are helping you of their own accord etc.

Also, I do not see their content infringing on all the sites out there. They simply cannot (not quickly any way), generate enough content to match what is already out there. Further, they cannot make it personal/expressive/opinioneated - if they go for fact, they go for fact... not deviation, no examination, no theory etc.
That means that most of their content is limited instantly.


On the compeltely negative side....
I can fore-see paid content editors, using it as a way to enhance their own business 9like so many of hre "professional body sites" for designers and web-authors", a way to push their own business/expertise/services.
Again, more advertising opportunities/sponsorship and branding options for businesses to be seen by thoswe wanting such information.
Inclussion of Editorials/News/Published information mixed with Search Engine Results, most likely biased/filtered to ensure more revenue, to the exclusion of hte unpaying, the minority or the disliked (as we know they have apparently done on the odd occassion).


Could it be that Google is attempting to go the same root as Fox/Sky ... the path of MS ... Virgin ... etc.?
They may simply want to earn an absolute fortune, and are now in a position to do so - they could quite easily become not only a supplier of resutls and links to information, but to actually content published by them selves in the written/typed word, video/muisic etc.

Technically, phenominal business approach/tactics - sucks for us though !

I too would suggest taking action - but can we say no to google... and get our clietns to understand why?
Of course not - and considering most people would rather plod on that raise a hue and cry, it's not going to happen either.

[EGOL]

So, say you have a content site for which you are ranking #1 for key phrases. You aren't outranked by Wikipedia, but are feeling nervous about Knol. What would you say would be the best strategy? Make sure you write the killer Knol document so that, if you get knocked out of first, your content is still what's topping the SERP's, even if more circuitously? Or, link build and hope Knol doesn't pass you up? Obviously, one could do both, but do you see one route as smarter than the other? I'd like to know your opinion on that.

The answer to this question depends upon your visibility....

If you have enormous traffic for your niche, I would spend almost 100% of my time creating best-on-the-web content. If you can do that and build a site that presents the content effectively the links will take care of themselves. Although, just to be sure, I would go out after links for the easily identifiable authority sites in my niche.

If you are a great content creator without a site and rankings then you need to become one of Knol's authors.

If you have rankings without content to support them... don't quit your day job... or start looking for one.

[bwelford]

Google is helping to create the Tower of Babel, knowing that in the hurly-burly they can make even more profit.

[bobbb]

SEOigloo-

and no doubt, with the Google brand stamped upon it, Knol will appear to many users in the same light. Wouldn't you say?

Yes indeed. the Google stamp will do it.

eKstreme-

Google is now competing with the very same people that populate its index. I'm surprised there isn't an outrage right now.

Quite true. This is much like a manufacturer or wholesaler competing with the stores they supply for consumer sales. Stores would be outraged.

Autocrat-

they do not charge to rank your site, they do it for free... they are helping you of their own accord etc.

True on part 1 but they only do it for free because it helps them make money from your content. Of course both sides win. In the very beginning of G the whole statement was true.

[EGOL]

Google isn't a public service, although some people think that they ought to be.

Most people give no thought to the economics and that is OK.

Many who have a clue about the economics are thinking about their own economics and not about the economics of the whole system - and that is the driving force.

I think that Google entering into the content business will be good for the web... It will probably be bad for my personal economics, but I will work harder to compete with them - and that will be good for the web.

[kensplace]

Hmm, I can see it now...

Google creates page rank, people use page rank to sell links.

Google bans selling links that pass page rank.

Google creates Knol ( a unit of knowledge.)

Units can be ranked..

Along comes Knol Rank.

People start selling links based on Knoll Rank.

Google starts banning people selling links [edit]from[/edit] sites with high knol ranks, ie sites with the good content on,

Edited by kensplace, 18 December 2007 - 12:56 PM.

[rynert]

If you have enormous traffic for your niche, I would spend almost 100% of my time creating best-on-the-web content. If you can do that and build a site that presents the content effectively the links will take care of themselves.

What worries me is that people will link to Knol *because* it is Google and therefore the information must be correct/accurate/complete etc - regardless of whether it is the best.

Joe 'webmaster' or Jane 'blogger' or even Jenny 'forum poster' will just automatically link to Google as the authority, and with that will come links and with that the algo authority and then it is game over for any site trying to compete.

It's a snowball at the top of a very steep hill.

[EGOL]

You are right. Google will get lots of links.

[rynert]

I wonder if they have given thought to eventually ordering, and identifying, the SERPs like this ;

Adverts
Top Knol Result(s)
Rest of the www

[kensplace]

Give it time and google will probably decide that the online stores are fair game and start selling products and services themselves....

They could start up google seo firms, web design firms, the whole lot.

They have started a worrying trend that can only lead in one direction, more things provided by google.

[EGOL]

I wonder if they have given thought to eventually ordering, and identifying, the SERPs like this ;

Adverts
Top Knol Result(s)
Rest of the www

Oh, man... we are in big trouble if they do that. However, they currently say that Knol will rank in their algo like any other site... companies do change their mind on things... just as I change mine.

[whitemark]

Google Knol (GK) isn't a wikipedia clone but rather imitates Squidoo.com and about.com ...

The wikipedia model is that anyone can create or edit pages on any topic. Once a topic has been created, you can't create the same topic but are allowed to edit existing topics to "add" to it. (Theoritically, wikipedia topics weren't supposed to have editors, but wikipedia seems to be moving in that direction ...)

The Squidoo model is that anyone can create a page (they call it "lens") on any topic and is allowed to edit only those topics that he / she created. Others can't edit those topics. You can also create content on already existing topics too. Authors can collaborate and form a community and club their pages together BUT (currently) they can still only edit their own pages.

GK is likely to follow a similar model. The real advantage that GK has over Squidoo is that authors can earn revenue through Google Adsense. While squidoo also displays adsense ads, the revenue earned doesn't go completely to the authors. So while Squidoo claims to help its authors make money through various affiliate schemes (like amazon, ebay etc), all of us know that these are peanuts and the REAL money is in Google Adsense.

All the concerns about GK pages ranking in Google are, in my opinion, unfounded.
For those of us who follow Google closely, know that that the last thing they are going to compromise is their credibility to make a few extra bucks. Unless a GK page doesn't have enough links to it (citations), it won't rank. Wikipedia pages ranks in the top 10 results not because they belong to wikipedia but because the particular page has loads of links to it.

What GK will do is to provide another great revenue source for Google and us.

[Autocrat]

The problem is that they wil lget links.
People will search, and I honestly beliece their will be a GK area dedicated on the main serp that will link to possibly releveant results.

Over the last few years G has made it abundantly clear they are here for the money, and are willing to look at any form to get the money.
From the other angle, they could be doing such things to keep up with the trends adn appear to be advancing rather than stagnating and becoming extinct... yet they could do so without making so much cash and without making life that much more difficult for some.


I agree with the forecast of Gogole branching into other areas... I can see G-Bay Auctions, G-Holiday bookings, G-oliath Books/Videos etc.
From the business view... why not! They havethe rfunds, the resources and the brand awareness... they have alot of trust from the general masses and have firmly established themselves.

What they don't realise is that people will throw them down pretty soon.
There will be some uproar and uprises, they will get a lot of bad press. There will be leaks and explanations from closed doors that highlight what they have been doing and how they don't care.
All of that would happen pretty quick... then they come unstuck, and they would fall.
Of course, I'm dreaming, as the majority of folks never do any such thing, and corporations like G will generally get away with it.