60 replies to this topic

[bwelford]

Google now uses stemming technology. Thus, when appropriate, it will search not only for your search terms, but also for words that are similar to some or all of those terms. If you search for "pet lemur dietary needs", Google will also search for "pet lemur diet needs", and other related variations of your terms. Any variants of your terms that were searched for will be highlighted in the snippet of text accompanying each result.

This is taken from the Google Search Tips. Until recently it said quite the reverse. That's a pretty fundamental change to bring in without a fanfare!

[mcanerin]

WOW

That kind of nerfs the concept of optimising for a particular phrase, doesn't it? Since G will rewrite the phrase and go looking for other sites all on it's own.

Additionally, it would have to break up the phrase into words and treat them all as individual, interrelated searches rather than a "phrase". That could explain some of the stuff I'm seeing.

Nice find

Ian

[glengara]

Just tried optimise/optimising images, and it doesn't seem to have kicked in on G.ie yet.

[gstark]

I just did the "pet lemur dietary needs" search - both with and without the quotes and I don't see it.

It was fun though to find MARTIAN TIME-SLIP by Phillip K Dick and Joyce's ULYSSES in the results.

If they are doing stemming now, won't that mean we only need to worry about root words?

Edited by gstark, 28 November 2003 - 08:32 PM.

[cvos]

im not convinced anything is set in stone. Show me where it says this update is over.

[Scottie]

Welcome to the forum, cvos!

Even if they are stemming, I wouldn't count on it to happen for key phrases.

[projectphp]

Even if they are stemming, I wouldn't count on it to happen for key phrases.

Oh no? Try Search engine optimisation. How many of the highlighted phrases are "optimiZation", and not "optimiSation"??

IMHO, Stemming / synonyms could account for a lot of what people are currently seeing.

That kind of nerfs the concept of optimising for a particular phrase, doesn't it?

Its worse: you could inadvertently trip an SEO filter. e.g. mortgage refinancing returns all four of:
1) mortgage
2) mortgages
3) refinance
3) refinancing

So, if you interchanged all four words on a single page, you might inadvertently have a page with a HUGE KWD for that phrase, and trip a filter of some sort.

All hypothetical, course. But nevertheless interesting. Love this game!!!! You just get it all sorted and POOF, back to square one!!!

<edit>

im not convinced anything is set in stone. Show me where it says this update is over.

here </edit>

[peter_d]

Oh no? Try Search engine optimisation. How many of the highlighted phrases are "optimiZation", and not "optimiSation"??

Yah. Stemming English spellings into US spelling is ridiculous. The English spellings were a very effective locality/culture differentiator. Obviously Google pHDs need to get out more....

[bwelford]

Just to add confusion, neither Optimization nor Optimisation were recognized in on-line dictionaries from Oxford and from Cambridge. So perhaps it's better to allow this stemming thing to roll.

I have found it's helping me on many of my searches. I thought Google should have done this from the very start.

[Scottie]

Yah. Stemming English spellings into US spelling is ridiculous. The English spellings were a very effective locality/culture differentiator. Obviously Google pHDs need to get out more....

If you would all just accept the US world domination and quit whining, it would be easier on you...

[UKDK]

If you would all just accept the US world domination and quit whining, it would be easier on you...

Could you explain further?

I dont understand the meaning of that statement.

Thanks

UKDK

[bwelford]

... and thank the Lord, they never make spelling mistakes in the US either.

[Scottie]

I'm sorry UKDK-

It's a joke. I was just picking on Peter a little.

[UKDK]

I think I must be suffering from a sense of humour deficiency !

No offence taken

UKDK

[peter_d]

If you would all just accept the US world domination and quit whining, it would be easier on you...

World domination? Who - the US? Now that is funny