I think the problem is that there is no other way to provide feedback to Google other than clicking on links.
I used to search on Google without an account. Then I created a phony account at work to see if there is an improvement in my searches (because it should be "learning", right?). And after some months... nope, or at least it's not noticeable.
How does Google know what I like, what I search or the content I want to see? Some combination of clicks and time-spent in a page through Google Analytics?
I would rather add a couple of buttons after each search result to provide feedback and the feedback I provide is valid just for my user (so it cannot be gamed). Two buttons with "this is crap" / "this is fine". Then Google can learn from that feedback instead of guessing through AI.
That, plus a "I'm not joe-six-pack" mode toggle, where Tools->Verbatim is enabled
and finds exactly what I am looking for, without assuming I'm misspelling or confused.
If there was any other obvious way to influence google it would instantly be gamed. Both my companies tried to increase their relevance in certain keywords and by competitors reporting their websites.
> I think the problem is that there is no other way to provide feedback to Google other than clicking on links.
I contemplated this on my problem validation forum by creating a 'Search Engine Wall of Shame'[1] , So we could post the search queries and results from different search engines when they give ugly results in the hope that people involved with those search engines could get actionable feedback.
While not exactly what you've asked, check out uBlacklist add-on. It adds "Block this site" link next to search results in Google, Bing, and a couple of others. You can block a specific url and it this add-on will remove it from the search results page.
I used to search on Google without an account. Then I created a phony account at work to see if there is an improvement in my searches (because it should be "learning", right?). And after some months... nope, or at least it's not noticeable.
How does Google know what I like, what I search or the content I want to see? Some combination of clicks and time-spent in a page through Google Analytics?
I would rather add a couple of buttons after each search result to provide feedback and the feedback I provide is valid just for my user (so it cannot be gamed). Two buttons with "this is crap" / "this is fine". Then Google can learn from that feedback instead of guessing through AI.
That, plus a "I'm not joe-six-pack" mode toggle, where Tools->Verbatim is enabled and finds exactly what I am looking for, without assuming I'm misspelling or confused.