View Full Version : Less than desireable results?
chowell
10-10-2003, 11:28 AM
I have been using Google for quite some time now, and up until a few weeks ago, I have been happy with their search results.
It seems that, in their race to "have the most indexed pages", they are including complete garbage. There are far too many PDF's & other documents, which are time consuming to open & rarely have useful content, coming up in the search results. My searches the past few days on Google have brought me nothing, and I've been forced to use other engines for my queries.
Just wondering if anyone else has been frustrated with their search results from Google lately...
showerherbaby
10-10-2003, 06:20 PM
Funny you should mention that. I have used Yahoo for quite sometime. I have always been pretty pleased with them. Then a friend said that I should start using Google...this was about two weeks ago. I didn't like their search results as well,and I was bombarded with pop-ups (which I loath). I understand their importance to some people, but they really are annoying. After a couple of days I switched back to Yahoo.
Black Knight
10-10-2003, 08:43 PM
I didn't like their search results as well,and I was bombarded with pop-ups (which I loath) [...] After a couple of days I switched back to Yahoo.
Firstly, the popups you have been seeing aren't from Google. Google are completely anti-popups, and always have been.
Your system is infected with some spyware which is forcing popups through your browser, and is also incidentally recording every page you visit to build up a picture of your surfing habits. This is why you are seeing popups even on your own site. I've told you how to fix this in the other thread (http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=6900) where you brought this up.
Secondly, The Yahoo search results come from Google. You've already been using Google very happily all along. If you prefer those Google results wrapped up in the Yahoo interface where they can also refer to parts of the Yahoo directory stuff, then you go right ahead.
showerherbaby
10-11-2003, 06:59 PM
Well, I am here to apologize to Google:) Black Knight was right, my computer was infected with spyware big time. Everyone and their mothers were spying on me. So, I am here to pass on this wonderful advice that Black Knight gave to me. I have pasted this from another thread, so I hope that this works. Here is the info.
The good news is that it is free and easy to fix, and fixing it will make your computer run faster and more securely.
To start, download a copy of Spybot - Search and Destroy, www.safer-networking.org a very handy freeware program that eliminates all kinds of nasty files that install themselves, some through just surfing, others as hidden nasties in the setup of other programs.
Next, download a copy of Spyware Blaster www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html which closes some of the loopholes in IE (and ActiveX) that allows some software to install itself just from you looking at a page.
Those two programs will help you a great, great, deal in using the Internet safely and securely, in addition to getting rid of some of the hidden parasitic stuff that gets installed on most machines.
It worked wonders for me. My computer was hanging up all the time with back web agents, etc..
Hi:
A bit about how others search, I tend to put a quotation mark, then the keyword phrase, then a quotation. Like this: "abcde zyxwv"
When a ridiculous amount of results show up, I'll do it again, but I'll add the plus sign between keywords in the phrase. Like this: "abcde +zyxwv"
When all else fails, I'll go to the advanced search features, but that's not too often.
- Mili -
alienzhavelanded
10-13-2003, 01:17 PM
I believe there is also a way to filter your search results so that you don't see things like PDFs. It's either in the Advanced search or the Google toolbar, but I haven't checked.
The Martian
minstrel
10-13-2003, 01:28 PM
I believe there is also a way to filter your search results so that you don't see things like PDFs. It's either in the Advanced search or the Google toolbar, but I haven't checked.
It's in Advanced Search | File types, which may make it a bit inconvenient since you'll have to set that for each search. On the other hand, Word DOCs and PDF files are clearly identified in the Google search results, so I don't personally find it problematical at all. I do hate the Adobe browser utility -- it's wayyyyy too sloww to load. What I do instead is just right click on the link and download it (or use GetRight).
Conficio
10-13-2003, 07:10 PM
Hi Mili,
you got me confused now!
::"one word":: should search for the literal string "one word" where ::one word:: should search for the words "one" or "word".
::"one +word":: should search for the literal string "one +word" which probably does not result in much and is not what you intended to say.
::one +word:: should search for "word" (mandatory) and optional for "one".
And by the way ::one -word:: should search for "one" and NOT "word". This way one can separate between for example "apple computer" and "apple pie".
Happy googleing
K<o>
P.S.:
http://conficio.home.comcast.net/preview/google/spelling_correction/index.html#showmeplayer
ozwebdeveloper
10-13-2003, 08:52 PM
Chowell:
I have been using Google now for the last 3 years. I have also noticed that more pdf content is coming up in search results. I think you will find this is in direct proportion to the amount of pdf files now being produced by many businesses and placed on their websites.
I actually like what Google have done with the results of pdf files when displayed as part of a search result. They are clearly marked (as mentioned previously), but also under the Bolded Subject Line is another link
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Makes it very easy to take a quick look at what may be contained within the pdf file - if it is even worth downloading to look at in greater detail.
If you don't wish to see pdf files or even MS Word DOC files returned in search results - no need to use advanced search. In your search use the words you are looking for followed by -.pdf or -.doc will not show those file types in a search.
Example:
legal documents environment -.pdf
Beware - The above example would lock out much "useful" content as many many legal documents are now stored in pdf format for ease of use.
One thing that has always been characteristic of google is it's ability to find things on the net that no other se can find. If you have not been around for awhile, it was the place you would go to find obscure and rare items you would not find elsewhere and still is.
They have changed things over the years and they have built on that, sure, but if you want depth, where are you going to go? MSN? Ha! It is because googs is the way it is, that has made it the choice of most. What's wrong with PDF? It's just a document or book and they are clearly marked as such. If I wanted to know how to make a dodad and a search turned up a book on how to make them, it is relevent. I'd take a look.
It's been pointed out on other posts that using the search properly can be a factor. Myself, I've had to dig around a certain way using this or that to find what I want and eliminate what I don't, at times. Focusing your search and formating it properly really does make a diff. And of course if you don't want pdf, "-.pdf", a cakewalk.
peace...Paul
cyanide
10-14-2003, 02:09 AM
Yes, personally, I find the pdf results kinda annoying as well. I hate having to wait for it to load. And if the pdf is really big, trying to find the keyphrase you just typed in ... I move on
Spybot is good, but I also recommend Adaware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/)
Black Knight
10-14-2003, 05:58 AM
Spybot is good, but I also recommend Adaware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/)
I had AdAware first, but you know that they stopped updating it for ages (almost a year I think). As a result, it stopped being as effective, and Spybot became (and is still) the more protective and thorough of the two.
The last test I ran was just about six weeks ago, and AdAware reported the system clear, while Spybot found a couple of minor violations.
HijackThis (http://www.tomcoyote.org/hjt/) is another fine utility, though a bit more for the techies, and as an addition to the other programs we've mentioned. It gives a full report (printable and sendable, so non-techies can more easily help a techie advisor know what may be happening) of all potential problems, things that autorun or are written into the registry. Worth a look.