The Blekko Effect on Low Quality Content
In the beginning of 2011, we wrote that Google has been taking a more in-depth look at solving the problem regarding content farms. With shallow content populating search engine page results (SERPS), the Internet search giant elected to take proactive measures that would weed out superficial websites. About two months later, we reported on the Google’s algorithm ranking change that was aimed at filtering out spam. Inspired by the Chrome browser extension project, the tweak was targeted at giving users ready access to information that is truly worthwhile.
Still, there are those who are not convinced that relegating spammy content to the bottom shelf is not enough. For the team at Blekko, the only way to be rid of inconsequential articles is to eradicate them completely.
Launched in November of last year, this up and coming search engine is said to provide results culled from a set of about 3 billion trusted websites. True to its goal of furnishing valuable search results minus the extraneous links, Blekko has recently introduced AdSpam to the rest of the world. This algorithm will be responsible for detecting site pages that thrive principally on a chockfull of adverts but have very little substantial text; putting the emphasis on rooting out spam rather than focusing on search results. At present, the technology is said to have eliminated “more than 1.1 million domains that support multi-millions of pages,” according to its official blog.
Whilst Google is empowering users by giving them the option to personalise search results, Blekko looks to human beings to identify websites that have never been beneficial. However, there are some startling gaps in Blekko’s SERPs. The majority of online searches are low volume long-tail queries, whereas Blekko only really shows strength in searches that are broad, niche based which have had the benefit of human interference.
For example, I may be planning a holiday to Morocco. Coincidentally I may have a lifelong ambition to see an Elephant and being able to combine to two would be ideal. Unfortunately, Blekko’s results for elephants in morocco reveal sites about anything from space missions, to books for senior citizens, to umbrellas. Google’s number 1 spot takes me directly to Morocco’s entry on a worldwide directory of elephants.
While the move to create an algorithm specifically to isolate spam is admirable, and arguably very useful in the long run, it is hard to see the benefit of spam free search at the cost of relevancy.
