Google dominates as the search engine of choice for millions around the world. This represents the current scenario. What about the future? As paid listings make their way into search result pages and search engine optimization for a higher rank becomes more a norm than an exception, what does the future of search engines hold? Will Google still have the answers a decade from now?
The issue at hand
1. Inorganic results
Every organization has the right to earn revenues but not at the expense of the consumers. Too many links in the form of paid listings on the first page do not do any good to the image of a search engine as the one that accurately lists the organic results.
2. Results that rank high on the back of spam
There are many links that manage to find place in the first few pages of search results on the back of spam in the form of keywords that hold no relevance on that page. In some cases as you click on a page you find nothing relating to those keywords.
3. Manipulation of search engine results with the use of SEO
We all have the right to work towards enhancing the rank of our websites or blogs on results for specific keywords but this makes the results seem manipulated. A high rank is not necessarily in keeping with the relevance of that page in relation to the keywords but perhaps indicative of an effort to keep an appropriate keyword density irrespective of the quality of the content and a sufficient number of links having been directed to that page.
4. Proposed integration of social media into search results
What is tagged as popular on social media is not necessarily accurate in relation to a keyword. Links from social networking platforms being displayed on search result pages will do little for the cause of relevant, accurate and required results.
People’s expectations from search engines of the future
1. Exact understanding of the users’ requirement
A user expects to key in a question to get the correct answer. This may not be possible today but one can always hope for it. A search engine that understands the gist of what is being asked for and gives appropriate results will find favor with one and all. The search engines these days work on matching the keywords and yielding the results. We hope for a search engine that does better than this.
2. Unbiased results based purely on quality
This may be wishful thinking but desirable nonetheless. Relevance is the buzzword here. A search engine that works in a relatively smaller sphere but ensures quality will beat the more popular search engines at their own game.
The inescapable fact here is that the search engine that will rule the roost in the future will be the one that gives relevant search results by virtue of the quality of content these carry. Search engine optimization does compromise with this in the form of popular websites that do well on the parameters of link building when it comes to indexing. People are unlikely to take too kindly to this in the near future.