Mark Zuckerberg Google+ Profile More Relevant Than Facebook Profile?

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t consider myself to be part of the anti Search Plus Your World crowd. I think it has its pros and cons.

I will say that I don’t like when it leads to Google serving me less relevant results (which I think is happening more as a result of other algorithm tweaks as well). I searched for “mark zuckerberg” and Google returned me his Google+ profile as the very top result. Not his Facebook profile. His Google+ profile.

Any guesses as to how many Google+ updates Zuckerberg has shared publicly? Zero.

Any guesses as to how many Google+ updates Zuckerberg has shared with me personally? Same answer.

So how is Zuck’s Google+ profile supposed to help me as a user for such a general query? I don’t know. Perhaps Google is delivering this result because I do have Zuckerberg in a circle (in case he ever does make an update). I’m not sure, because when I try to test this by taking him out of the circle, Google doesn’t accept the removal. A bug I guess. Either way, if it’s because of the “personal connection” between Mark and myself, does that mean Google’s algorithm isn’t sophisticated enough to realize that there is virtually no content on Zuckerberg’s profile? Isn’t that against the rules of search quality, which Google has driven into the ground since the unleashing of the Panda update in 2011?

Of course it’s sophisticated enough.

Isn’t it also sophisticated enough to see that Mark and I have never actually exchanged a piece of information with one another via Google+?

Probably.

I don’t want to get into all of the talk about Google’s competitive practices here, because that’s not the part that bothers me as a user. It’s the whole making the results less usable thing.

As a Google user, I want integration among the various Google services I use. However, sometimes Search Plus Your World benefits the results, and sometimes it does not.

There are 14 Comments. Add Yours.

L
February 13, 2012 at 2:23 pm

I do not like the way the new Google works so I reset my Android phone to go back to the basic. Also, FaceBook IS NOT user friendly. I had trouble entering my profile likes, family, etc on my Android, but now that they have updated I have yet to find a way to make changes or updates, and the internet is useless, it just jumps to the tacky page…..and not matter how much I choose what I want to do, it does not allow you to make any additions or changes in any way….. I just use it to look around but that does not mean I do not need to make changes. FB is junk!!! You have any suggestions on making changes or entries?
Jack
February 11, 2012 at 9:20 pm

If anything Facebook is lucky Google even crawls their stupid platform.. its competition.. in real life its like having Target brand products at every Wall Mart.. that does not seem fair.. but facebook should be all over Google.. hummm…
publius sanctus
February 11, 2012 at 4:37 pm

Interesting that so many smart people cannot figure out Google’s algorithm of control and manipulation. There was never a real need for SOPA per there own controls already in place.. Someday all you brilliant people will get this concept figured out.
Chris Crum
February 11, 2012 at 4:17 pm

To whom it may concern: I took the liberty of deleting the fake Matt Cutts post that was here earlier. He pops up from time to time. More on Fake Matt Cutts here.
Joe
February 11, 2012 at 3:39 pm

I also agree with caynlarb
- Chris Crum
  February 11, 2012 at 4:15 pm
  
  See my response above.
Joe
February 11, 2012 at 3:35 pm

Use Boolean search on googles search engine it helps a lot, and as for your search results if you facebook Mark Zuckerberg there are tons of copy cats trying to pretend they are mark. When I went to Boolean search mark top 3 results were wikipedia facebook and a few other results which were every relevant because I incorporated relevance in my search. When I didn’t use Boolean search it wasn’t very relevant at least in terms of dates
Paul
February 11, 2012 at 2:30 pm

Actually not factual. Fortunately in this case everyone can type his name into a search bar and see for themselves. I suppose it generated an article for the author
cayniarb
February 11, 2012 at 2:25 pm

It seems like the real issue here is that you should not add people to your G+ circles who are not actually relevant to you. Since I really don’t know Mark Zuckerberg and don’t care about his empty G+ profile, he is not in my circles. When I Google ‘Mark Zuckerberg,’ my top result is his wikipedia page, followed by his facebook page.

This isn’t an issue with Google’s search algorithm. It’s an issue with your life algorithm. Google assumes that someone you follow on G+ is someone from whom you actually want to get G+ info. That’s not a huge leap. You, as a user, chose to add Zuckerberg’s profile to your circles. You can’t blame Google when they assume that you did that because you actually cared about seeing that G+ profile. Since you clearly do not care about his G+ profile, you shouldn’t have told Google that you did. You certainly shouldn’t then complain when Google has the nerve to take you at your word.
- Chris Crum
  February 11, 2012 at 4:14 pm
  
  I get your point, and I actually like the comment about the life algorithm. That said, given that I write for WebProNews and cover Facebook news, Mark Zuckerberg is quite relevant to me. I added him to a Circle because I want to receive updates if he ever does post something. However, he has not posted anything, and even if he did, that does not make it more relevant than his Facebook page where he does post content, especially considering he is the CEO of Facebook.
  
  It would be more debatable if there were posts on his Google+ profile. But even still, just because you have a personal connection through Google+ to something doesn’t necessarily make it the most relevant result.
  
  Interestingly enough, when I search “madonna” who I follow on Google+ as well, and who is actually active on Google+, I don’t even get her Google+ profile on the first page of results. And that’s with or without SPYW turned on. Her Facebook and MySpace profiles do appear (not that those aren’t relevant results).
  - Alex Garcia
    February 13, 2012 at 4:01 am
    
    Very easy to understand Chris. Friends in Google+ first. Every other website in the internet second. If you activate + your world that means you want the Google+ first!!!. Otherwise why would you activate it?. Just search without login into Google and you will get the world’s result. Is it that hard to understand?
- Calson
  February 11, 2012 at 6:50 pm
  
  If this were facebook I would Like cayniarb’s reply. I got the same results, wiki followed by facebook.
Scott Bauer
February 11, 2012 at 2:11 pm

Chris, I totally get it. Writing from my iPad this AM I don’t have all the seo stats but i can bet domain authority is higher on Facebook than Google Plus, take a look over at Bing results, much more honest. Google shows too much allegiance to being a “homer.” A result like that is just an unfair way to misrepresent that result page as the most relevant when it is not, shine the light on Google Plus and show to web savvy folks that Google plays unfairly.
Dali Burgado
February 11, 2012 at 1:59 pm

Big time Google + favoritism. I am sure the relevancy issue is being worked on, but yeah… you would think Google could get it right.