Google made it easier for people to search within a small number of sites by adding a second search box to the top results for those retailers.
That second box takes advantage of the useful search operator, site:. The site: operator allows the searcher to limit results to a query to ones coming from a specific domain.
Many people may not be aware that they can type something like site:example.com and focus their search results this way. Google’s latest project, focused on a handful of popular sites, brings up the second search box so someone using it automatically searches within the domain in question.
It isn’t being as warmly received as Google may have anticipated. The New York Times discussed the feature, and a couple of retailers complained about Google doing in its search results what Google does best: stick text ads next to them.
The publishers and retailers who Google tapped as worthy of a dedicated search box within their sites apparently became horrified to see ads for competitors popping up alongside the site: operator results.
Though Amazon.com had been one of the initial sites gifted with the second search box, it’s since been removed. The Times suggested Amazon.com requested this. Jewelry retailer Ice.com isn’t part of the program, but they already told the Times they want no part of it.
The issue demonstrates the strength, and the vulnerability, of Google’s first big revenue stream. They allow advertisers to buy competitor keywords. Though Google’s AdWords policies restrict the display of competitor keywords, a highly placed ad could be enough to take people away from the site they searched for to a competitor with a nicer landing page and a better deal.
Utah nearly killed competitor keyword usage with a bill called the Trademark Protection Act. The bill would have required the creation of a database of registered keywords that search engines would have to check, and avoid presenting competing ads to searchers.
Fierce lobbying resulted in tweaks to the bill that removed the offending competitor keyword language. Businesses that hate the practice will be keeping an eye on Google to see if the search ad giant has dropped a second search box into their results.
