Matt Cutts Shares Insights on Potential Google Search Improvements
Google Webmaster Central Videos
Google’s Webmaster Central YouTube channel has long been a valuable resource for users and webmasters. The channel, frequently featuring Matt Cutts, provides answers to questions directly from Google enthusiasts. Recently, a unique question took center stage: What would you enhance or add to Google Search if given a chance?
Matt Cutts’ Take on Google Search
It’s intriguing to hear insights from someone as closely linked to Google’s search as Matt Cutts. His reputation for demystifying the complexities of the world’s leading search engine gives his response notable weight.
When posed the question, Cutts didn’t hesitate to pinpoint a specific facet of Google Search that he finds cumbersome: the URL generated during a search. For instance, if a user searches for “flowers”, the resulting URL is not merely www.google.com/search?q=flowers. It often includes additional parameters like “hl=en”.
Labelled as “Google Flowers URL” in some discussions, this extended URL format is more than a mere inconvenience for Cutts. Due to his habit of emailing search results, the language parameter, which defaults to English (“hl=en”), becomes redundant. Cutts has even pondered creating a Greasemonkey script to exclude these superfluous parameters. Despite pitching this simplification to his colleagues at Google, he’s found little enthusiasm. As Cutts jovially mentions, the act of emailing search result URLs isn’t a widespread practice. Yet, he remains hopeful, stating, “Maybe some day I will prevail.”
User Feedback on Google Search
Cutts’ video, as expected, garnered numerous reactions. The comments section became a hub of suggestions from users highlighting their own wishes for Google Search’s evolution. Some of the notable feedback includes:
- Greater control over regular expressions, giving users a refined search experience.
- Introducing a date-limiting feature alongside the search box, enabling users to obtain time-specific results effortlessly.
- Enhancing Google Alerts to recognize hyphens, thereby refining search alerts.
While Google Search continues to dominate as the preferred search engine globally, there’s always room for enhancement. Matt Cutts’ perspective, combined with active user feedback, paints a clear picture of potential areas of improvement. Whether it’s streamlining the search URL or tweaking search parameters, the continuous dialogue between Google and its vast user base ensures that evolution remains at the forefront.
Related Articles
