Seeing results from a game in 2010 isn’t helpful. It’s embarrassing.
When I search, I expect immediate, accurate results. The search engine’s algorithm is so finely tuned that it almost knows me better than I do.
While in the midst of last month’s World Cup euphoria, I tested the simple query of:
“What time does the US Soccer game start?”
I knew the contest wouldn’t be fair, as Google’s leapfrogged (maybe even steamrolled) Yahoo in relevance, reach, popularity, and accuracy years ago, but I wanted to see how wide the gap had become.
Game. Set. Match.
Within seconds, I had the answer I needed. Simple. Fast. Easy.
Yahoo’s results set included US Soccer’s television schedule from the 2010 World Cup. Hmm…Yahoo’s woeful position is on full display here.
The reasons are many for Google’s near-monopoly status: a brilliant ad model, Android OS, Gmail, Google Images, and more. But this simple search test further clarified in my mind that I should steer clear of Yahoo when searching the Web. Google’s always got the better answer.
Until next time.
Dan Naden
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