Google Algorithm Update
Last Thursday, Google announced they were updating their search algorithm to downgrade sites with too many ads. Specifically, this algorithm change hits websites that have more ads than content above the fold (the portion of the website visible without scrolling). While this doesn’t affect any of our websites, we’re still excited by the direction that Google seems to be moving with their recent algorithm changes. Last year, Google released an algorithm update (Panda, which you can learn about in one of our earlier blog posts) that begins ranking sites based on aesthetics as well as the normal technical aspects.
Some people are accusing Google of telling people to “do as I say, not as I do” because of how many ads Google shows in their search results through their pay per click program. However, we still think this recent update is another step in the right direction, pushing web designers and developers to develop sites that present relevant content instead of ads.
To read more about the algorithm update, check out this Google Search blog post.
Algorithms in Our World
We included a link to this video in one of our previous blog posts, but we think it’s worth reposting. We deal with algorithms (especially search engine algorithms) on a regular basis when we’re building websites, but we often don’t realize how much affect algorithms have on the rest of the world around us. Check out this Ted talk to get a glimpse into some of the interesting ways we see (and don’t see) algorithms working in our lives everyday.
