A simple search for "satellite news" using the "pages from the UK" modifier - returns 9 organic listings for BBC.co.uk articles.
http://www.google.co.uk/#q=satellite+news&hl=en&prmd=imvnsu&source=lnt&tbs=ctr:countryUK%7CcountryGB&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&sa=X&ei=jFUIUIesCsSm0AWX_K3cBA&ved=0CGAQpwUoAQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=fdad19227ee412ad&biw=1600&bih=760
they're testing - i was searching for a variety of colours of widgets that a client sells yesterday as one of my KPI's this year is to nail that low hanging longer tail stuff. For some searches I would have 8 or 9 results from us, then the same number from a competitor, then 3 from another competitor, then 7 from another etc. For others normal serps. The guy next to me was seeing normal serps throughout.
Obviously I like when we dominate the first page (less good where we don't yet rank #1!) but its really not a good experience for the average searcher. If you're researching red widgets then you only want one or two results per domain and you'll look at the others when you click through, surely. Very strange thing to even be testing, imho.
of course. all red widget sellers who rank below #1 will be needing ppc if that comes in...... and once product goes fully paid, we're down to 1 organic result on page 1, let alone above the fold......
Only 4 organic listings for the BBC now - but funny that the 2 Google News snippets for the BBC, one is about the Greenland icesheet and has nothing to do with satellite TV, though probably mentions the word "satellite" somewhere on the piece.
Funny that, because when I first saw the bodged result, I figured it was a semantic processing value being tweaked. The inclusion of that news piece still suggests that, ie, Google trying to figure out relationships to "satellite news" rather than looking directly at keyword associations as much where possible.
<rant>Just frustrating... a search for thelounge@number3, a small restaurant, bring up 4 pages of Trip Advisor results, way above their own website. Seems that trip advisor create a new page every time a new review is left, if that isn't duplicate content, then I am impressed.
Then 3 results from www.theloungerestaurant.co.uk ....
</rant>
If I could just understand what is is they are testing for....
I could certainly build a list that would work better for me, but don't see why I have to click through the pages to tell them. Even different pages from trip advisor would be better, like the map...
It has been suggested many times google put up rubbish results when they want more more money. Can't be true.... Can't be true... Can't be true.....
Dunno if it was testing or not, but some recent product searches are bringing dozens of ebay and amazon results, making it difficult just to find the mfg.
surely this is going to impact on peoples satisfaction with Google? There can't be anyone thinks its good?
I dont think anyone but us notices. A lawyer friend of mine did earlier in the year, but she is particularly sharp.
I get more Amazon sales than I ever did, and fewer direct sales, as they rank above me often.
i think eventually people will get dissatisfied... but I predict it will take a long time.