One week ago, I began an experiment of cutting the Google search engine out of my online workflow. As a “power” internet user, and online researcher, writer and new media dabbler, I like to think that the trends and patterns I see in my own internet usage probably apply to many other people. I switched from Google searches because I am growing increasingly wary of having one corporation have complete ownership of patterns derived off my data usage. I am, of course, still extremely wary about that. But my experiment in searching yielded interesting “results”.

Yahoo search results suck. Google search results suck a lot less.

Doesn’t mean I like the direction Google is heading in technologically though. But I have to hand it to them: their results are simply better. They are more accurate, more targeted and - in short - they get me what I want.

Well, sometimes. In certain ways. I still have several “beefs” with what they are doing, and plan to continue posting more (mostly) constructive thoughts and tips for whoever is undoubtedly tasked with tracking their brand management by covering what bloggers are saying about them. For now though, I am conceding in this aspect of the chess game. You do have a better product, but let’s figure out how to make it better, shall we? You know you need fresh blood; it’s easy to see you guys stagnating on certain things. I don’t want to work for you, but I do want to make more money (I used to make over $800 off Google alone, and now it’s down to almost $200 a month) off you, and I’m sure that goes both directions. And I also want to continue using what you guys are putting out there - but only if you can keep up with where things are going. Stop diversifying with a bunch of side services which are detracting from your core value and get back to what made your brand great in the first place: quick access to exactly the information you’re looking for.

I’ve always seen the Google of the future as being a place you go in your mind for answers, as opposed to a search engine. Maybe it could be like a phone booth or a confessional. You go and tell it your problems or your questions and it offers suggestions on what you could do next. A volition engine, not a search engine. Something that enables you to take action - which means it should collect information for you, not sink all your time into finding it.

Oh, and another thing… During the week or so which I (mostly) didn’t use Google searches, traffic to my website dropped by literally a thousand unique visitors per day. This is remarkable (/bullshit), because my traffic statistics have been steady for close to two years. What happened? I don’t accept that people stopped searching for terms which my site is rich in suddenly. I have to also wonder if they are going to “go back to normal” now that I am publicly returning my favor back to your product. I’ll leave it up to the reader to do their own experiments and draw their own conclusions, but would it be possible for a search engine company to “game” you as an information source if you’re not favorable towards them? Undoubtedly! Would it be ethical? Ha! But how would me as a blog publisher ever even know if this was happening to me? (What search terms would I even use to investigate this?)