Google making search results more local and relevant

[Brink]

When you’re searching on Google, we aim to provide the most useful results for your query. Today, around one in five searches on Google is related to location, so providing locally relevant search results is an essential part of serving you the most accurate information.

In order to provide this optimal experience, your location determines the country service you receive results for across Google Search and Maps. Historically, these services have been labeled and accessed via country code top level domain names (ccTLD) such as [google.ng for Nigeria] or [google.com.br for Brazil]. You may also have typed in the relevant ccTLD in your browser.

Today, we’ve updated the way we label country services on the mobile web, the Google app for iOS, and desktop Search and Maps. Now the choice of country service will no longer be indicated by domain. Instead, by default, you’ll be served the country service that corresponds to your location. So if you live in Australia, you’ll automatically receive the country service for Australia, but when you travel to New Zealand, your results will switch automatically to the country service for New Zealand. Upon return to Australia, you will seamlessly revert back to the Australian country service.

If for some reason you don't see the right country when you're browsing, you can still go into settings and select the correct country service you want to receive. Typing the relevant ccTLD in your browser will no longer bring you to the various country services—this preference should be managed directly in settings. In addition, at the bottom of the search results page, you can clearly see which country service you are currently using.

It’s important to note that while this update will change the way Google Search and Maps services are labeled, it won’t affect the way these products work, nor will it change how we handle obligations under national law. This update will help ensure that you get the most relevant results based on your location and is consistent with how Google already manages our services across a number of our other platforms, including YouTube, Blogger, Google Earth and Gmail, among others.

We’re confident this change will improve your Search experience, automatically providing you with the most useful information based on your search query and other context, including location.

Source: Making search results more local and relevant

 

[cornemuse]

I've noticed they are mixing their 'ad links' amongst the rest of the search results. I guess one is more likely to click on them than when they were all on top, , , , ,

 

[lehnerus2000]

When Google says make the search results more relevant, they mean more relevant to Google's "Bottom Line".

 

[Layback Bear]

When Google says make the search results more relevant, they mean more relevant to Google's "Bottom Line".

Jack

 

[chefduane]

I wonder why they censor Prager University.

 

[mjf]

When Google says make the search results more relevant, they mean more relevant to Google's "Bottom Line".

They are in business to make money so what do you expect. If you don't like them don't use them.

 

[lehnerus2000]

They are in business to make money so what do you expect. If you don't like them don't use them.

You're missing the point, this is being promoted as a change to help users.
All corporations and politicians make this (usually) false assertion.
However I suspect any user benefits will be coincidental and unintentional.

I avoid Google as much as possible and I run <censored> and <censored> to try to block them.

Why don't they say, "this will boost our profits, so suck it up peasants" (i.e. the truth)?

 

[mjf]

I'm not missing the point at all. I see some utility in what they are offering. No one is forcing you to use Google anything. Their revenue is ~US$90 billion so they aren't going away soon.

 

[Layback Bear]

It's so simple.
If one wants to use a free search engine, one has to put up with the B/S.
If one thinks they are hidden when on line, they need to think again.
If a computing device is connected to the internet, someone is watching.
When one uses a credit card someone knows where you are, what you bought, how much you spent and when.
Then they sell that information. The sale of such information is what gives us a so called free internet after one pays the ISP. The ISP also gathers information from their users and sell such information.
It's just a fact of todays world. All one can do is be as careful as possible.

Jack

 

[georgeks]

I live in the Netherlands.

Googling -mostly-about computers was constantly getting me into a Dutch site.

I use Firefox so God bless the people behind Mycroft Project and their Google (No country redirect) plugin