Are People Getting Better at Search?
Anecdotally I’d say the answer is yes. But I’m specifically asking because of this question on Snarkmarket: “I wonder what else Google might have taught us. Has the nature of our Google queries changed over time? Do we type fewer words? More? How does our use of Google compare to the first generation of search engines?”
A quick search around turned up a few things. First off, in 2008 the average query length jumped from three to four words-per-search. Also, 25% of queries are unique to the last month (which seems like it would favor more specific searches). Anyone have any more data on the topic?
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And if we get better at searching, what will that mean for the massive search-advertising business? Will the ad results have to get more relevant? Will the ads become proportionately less important? Do we really want and find value in the ads if the organic and our searching abilities become so good? I guess the ads serve a different purpose — one of discovery in the shopping phase, which humans seem to be hardwired to desire.
A quick look at Google’s search insights shows a swing in the last year for “question” words, (for instance the 5 w’s). Just a theory, are people asking more questions?