A couple of weeks ago, Google unveiled their plans for “Google Search, Plus Your World” (shortened in this article as “Search Plus” for the sake of brevity and the avoidance of repeating a daft name) – an overhaul of their algorithm which sees links and content from their Google+ social network peppered in amongst regular search engine results.

This is yet another step by Google to shoehorn their social media efforts into their search offering, following the addition of their “+1″ button a while back; and has drawn a mixed reaction from online observers.  Personally, while I understand and don’t necessarily dislike this development – with all things considered I believe there is a fundamental flaw in the change…

What does it mean?

Unlike before, when a search for a particular topic would return results based on a variety of factors used to determine relevancy; we now get these results from the internet at large, as well as a sampling of results from content which your Google+ network have shared.  This content may not otherwise have been deemed relevant by Google using their prior search metrics, but because somebody you’re connected to has shared – or essentially, recommended – this content, it is seen as being of higher relevance to you personally and as such is displayed along with standard results.

Don’t be evil

Much of the negative reaction is centred around the hypocrisy many feel Google are displaying with this move – going against their mantra of “Don’t be evil” (or in practical terms – put the needs of the customers/users before the needs of the company) and manipulating their position as the leading search engine in order to give priority to the promotion of their own social media platform over the provision of truly relevant search results.

The development has been labelled as a display of nepotism, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a company making money and promoting their own products and services, the fact that the “Don’t be evil” company ethos has become so high profile makes it a bit of a bitter pill to swallow for some.

Google, however, are promoting Search+ as an evolution of search, stating that the inclusion of results from your Google+ network gives you an unprecedented level of personalisation to your searches; meaning the results shown are ones which are most relevant to you, not just most relevant “in general”.

The problem with “Social”

This is where I feel the fundamental flaw in what Google are claiming about Search+, and it relates to the way in which many of us use Social Media in general.  The premise Google are focusing the positives of Search+ on is that content viewed and shared by your friends becomes more relevant purely because of your connection – however when it  comes to social media, most of our connections aren’t necessarily people we consider friends, and in many cases we don’t know them at all.

Purists will argue that the “right” way of using social media is to connect with friends, acquaintances, colleagues, industry leaders etc – but the reality is that this doesn’t happen.  Sure, we connect with those people, and they’re probably the only ones we ever really engage with – but the majority of most peoples connections are superficial at best.

There is a culture of reciprocity which is rife throughout social media – you follow me, I follow you back; you share my content, I share yours – and so not only do you end up connected to hundreds of people you don’t know, who you connect with purely out of being polite; but you also end up sharing content which – if found independently – you’d pass over.  Of course that doesn’t describe all of us, but you’d be naive to think that’s not the norm.

The flaw

With all of these things considered, Search+ will potentially become filled with recommendations from people we don’t know, and content shared without being read or validated for quality/relevancy by the people sharing it.  Should such superficiality really be influencing our search results?

Putting aside the problem of wafer-thin social connections influencing search; it’s also a certainty that this will be manipulated by search marketers looking for shortcuts to boost their rankings.

When you consider that Google appeal has always been simplicity – suddenly having all of this added “noise” within your searches, as well as having to not only assess whether a listing is one you want to view, but also whether the “endorsement” from someone in your social network is a valid one has the potential to make search a far more frustrating process than ever before.

You can, of course, disable Search+ – but it’s enabled by default, and so the likelihood of people doing this is slim.  Instead searchers will no doubt be more likely to flick through the first page or two of results before heading off and looking somewhere else for what they need.

The reality of it is that even if the fears and concerns put forth in this article come to fruition, it will be with a muted response.  Google have a stranglehold on search and are so deeply routed in the daily routines of Internet users that people will simply adapt and fall into line.  Despite the negative tone I can see me quite liking Search+ for the most part; but as for “Don’t be evil”, I think Google’s attempts to appear to be upholding this have fallen down on this occasion.

So, what are your thoughts on Search+, is it a good thing or a bad thing for search?  Have you noticed any of the issues I’ve mentioned or do you think I’m full of hot air?  Comments and opinions, as always, are very much welcomed and appreciated.

PS: be sure to share this on Google+ before you go….