SEO

Google Does Not Provide Source for Basic Factual Data

In Google search more and more search queries are answered directly by Google. Google mentions the source, but displays the information directly. A click on the link is therefore not necessary anymore. The query below is asking for the age of Simonetta Sommaruga. The answer is shown directly by Google.

Example Simonetta Sommaruga

 

If you search for “What is search engine optimization” Google does not provide the answer but shows Wikipedia as first organic search result.

Example Search Suchmaschinenoptimierung

The Google algorithm sometimes misunderstands the search query. The answer shown directly by Google for the question “How old is Switzerland” contains the average age of Swiss citizens.

Example How old is Switzerland

Google providing the answer directly in the search result pages is very user friendly, but concerning publishers. They are afraid that their content is provided for free and that they will have problems monetize it in the future. Google says they will display the answer only for basic factual data which can be found on several websites and sources. It is interesting to see what that will mean in the future.