Members TampaYankee Posted September 5, 2010 Members Posted September 5, 2010 Google Search Rankings Investigated By Texas Attorney General MICHAEL LIEDTKE | 09/ 3/10 10:54 PM | AP SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc.'s methods for recommending websites are being reviewed by Texas' attorney general in an investigation spurred by complaints that the company has abused its power as the Internet's dominant search engine. The antitrust inquiry disclosed by Google late Friday is just the latest sign of the intensifying scrutiny facing the company as it enters its adolescence. Since its inception in a Silicon Valley garage 12 years ago, Google has gone from a quirky startup to one of the world's most influential businesses with annual revenue approaching $30 billion. A spokesman for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott confirmed the investigation, but declined further comment. The review appears to be focused on whether Google is manipulating its search results to stifle competition. The pecking order of those results can make or break websites because Google's search engine processes about two-thirds of the search requests in the U.S. and handles even more volume in some parts of the world. That dominance means a website ranking high on the first page of Google's results will likely attract more traffic and generate more revenue, either from ads or merchandise sales. On the flip side, being buried in the back pages of the results, or even at the bottom of the first page, can be financially devastating and, in extreme cases, has been blamed for ruining some Internet companies. European regulators already have been investigating complaints alleging that Google has been favoring its own services in its results instead of rival websites. Several lawsuits filed in the U.S. also have alleged Google's search formula is biased. Google believes Abbott is the first state attorney general to open an antitrust review into the issue. All of those companies offer features that Google includes in its search engine or in other parts of its website. Foundem, SourceTool and MyTriggers have previously filed lawsuits or regulatory complaints against Google. "Given that not every website can be at the top of the results, or even appear on the first page of our results, it's unsurprising that some less relevant, lower quality websites will be unhappy with their ranking," Harrison wrote. Google says its closely guarded search formula strives to recommend websites that are most likely to satisfy the needs of each user's request. If it didn't keep its users happy, Google argues that people would become disgruntled and switch to other search engines offered by Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and IAC/InterActiveCorp's Ask.com. Regulators and lawmakers in the U.S. and Europe also have been looking into Google's privacy practices and its acquisitions as the company tries to fortify its power. See original article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/04/google-search-rankings-in_n_705759.html Quote
Guest FourAces Posted September 5, 2010 Posted September 5, 2010 Interesting article. I am a Google fanboy so I think the quote from them is right on the mark. When I search using Yahoo I rarely find what I want easily. I've tried Bing and its OK but Google by far seems to be near perfect to help me find what I'm looking for. In fact, I find I'm starting to use their Chrome browser a bit more since the newest release a few days ago. One thing I really like it when I am typing in the address field a list of suggestions appear just like in their search box. Makes it kind of like one stop shopping Quote
