Are Google results getting worse? — Mordy Oberstein // Wix

Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Branding at Wix, talks about the evolution of Google search results. Google’s search results have come a long way since 2016, providing consumers with better results thanks to NLP and machine learning. But, before getting to the point, their algorithm incentivized content creators to create subpar content which fostered consumer mistrust that still lingers amidst massive improvements on Google’s end. Today, Mordy looks into whether Google results are getting worse.
About the speaker

Mordy Oberstein

Wix

is a little camera shy

Mordy is Head of SEO Branding at Wix

Show Notes

  • 02:13
    The evolution of Googles algorithm and search results
    Using natural language processing and machine learning, Googles algorithm and search results have improved over time. But, people are a lot more skeptical of the web nowadays and theres a growing interest in data privacy.
  • 05:53
    Consumer distrust of the web
    As concerns around data privacy grow, people are trusting the web a lot less. Additionally, theres a lot of skepticism around the information being presented as fact on the web.
  • 07:24
    The use of non
    Consumers have witnessed Facebook and Google being taken to Congress for tactics that werent in the consumers best interest. Platforms like Snapchat and TikTok currently have more consumer trust though they probably shouldn't be trusted.
  • 09:00
    Googles past incentivization of poor quality content
    Initially, Googles page rank technology only allowed them to understand a piece of content to a certain degree. This allowed a lot of below par content to rank in the past, but the recently launched helpful content update is meant to fix that.

Quotes

  • "If you've been tracking the Google algorithm very closely as it's progressed since around 2016 or 2017, you'll notice that the results have gotten a lot better for the most part." -Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Branding, Wix

  • "The search volume around things like data privacy is up 100% since 2017, meaning people are searching for those things way more." -Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Branding, Wix

  • "Platforms like Snapchat and TikTok get left out of the fold based on ignorance. If you knew what was going on in TikTok, you probably wouldn't trust them." -Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Branding, Wix

  • "On a good result page, there are two or three really good results. The rest of it is fluff. Your average listicle Five Best Ways to whatever. And so, it's easy to hate the results." -Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Branding, Wix

  • "For the last couple of years, Google has said, we're starting not to rank that average crappy listicle to the same extent that we used to. And we're trying to filter it out, it's a long process." -Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO Branding, Wix

About the speaker

Mordy Oberstein

Wix

is a little camera shy

Mordy is Head of SEO Branding at Wix

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