Why Search Engines Fail
Imagine asking a stranger for directions to a clothing store. Chances
are, the stranger will tell you one of two replies. They'll direct you
to the nearest clothing store they know of, or they'll send to to the
last one they just passed. But you're looking for the latest Spongebob
Squarepants kid's shirt. You didn't tell the stranger that, did you?
Probably not. So, you got directions to the local Disney store, which of
course, would not be selling any competitor's clothing.
How did this happen? Simple.
Like most of us, when we type something into a search engine, we just
assume that the search engine knows what we mean. A computer can only do
what we tell it to do, so that's why we may not get the desired results
that we are seeking. Back when the 'Net was young (1990), you could get
away with such simple phrases because there wasn't much content on the
Internet as there is now. This is why when you're searching, be sure to
be as specific as possible. The Search Engine's entire existance is to
provide relevant and specific results to you, the user. Tell the engine
more relevant phrases, and you will be rewarded accordingly.
Even when searching for a singular or plural version of something, you
will get different results. Some words are even more complex. For
example, if you enter "wheelchair", Google will tell you there are about
1.4 million results. Add a space, and now you have "wheel chair" and
Google will tell you that there are about 4.6 million results! Now to
even complicate matters more, if you enter "wheel chairs" there are only
760,000 results. Remove the space and for "wheelchairs" you now get
about 1.2 million results.
How does this happen?
Remember, the search engines are programmed to try and deliver the best
document for each given keyword/phrase. Through a complex algorithm,
they mathmatically determine which page has the most relevant content.
They do this for every possible keyword and phrase that they are aware
of. This why you see such a disparity in the search results.
How can I rank for all of my similar keywords?
Glad you asked. One of the many factors used in determining keyword
relevancy is proximity. By using the variations of the spelling in a
logical manner - such as the example I presented above, describing the
different ways it can be spelled - the search engines will use this to
determine that since your page talks about these variations of
wheelchairs, this page must be relevant. Of course there are many other
factors involved, but for the sake of this discussion, that's all we
need.
-To your online success!
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