Are iTunes Links Being Downranked by Google?

[Renzatic]

It always worked well for me. I actually never used Google/Bing/Yahoo to search from an iOS app

This is the core of the issue right here. You know, I wouldn't doubt that Google just might very well be putting their results ahead of the competitions. It's a little low. A little sleazy.

...a little pointless.

Why? Because chances are good you're going to be searching for your apps through the App Store. Or if not there, you're going to be looking for "best writing app for iPad", which takes you to the appropriate links with nary a Google Play result to be found.

I know a lot of people here like to pull out the dumb consumer excuse as a reason why this is bad, but I doubt people are so idiotic they don't know the name of the device they just spent $350+ for.

 

[Cavepainter]

Watch the local or even the national TV news the night of the Super Bowl. Or during the Olympics. What you'll see is the same station that had the event will feature the event very prominently in their newscast. Often leading off with a story about it. The other stations will bury the story- unless its something really huge (US swimmer wins a dozen medals etc). Generally, the other stations will barely even cover the event at all leading up to it. Why would they want to promote an event to people that will cause people to turn the channel? And those are NEWS organizations. The Yellow Pages used to have companies in bigger fonts and larger ads, depending on who paid them more to be featured. News agencies and magazines like Time and Newsweek as well as newspapers promote things they care about all the time and bury stories they tend to not want people to know about. Stuff like this happens all the time.

Do I agree with it or think its a great idea? No. Am I surprised to see Google do the same? No.

 

[the8thark]

So far, Google has a clean sheet.

No they do not.

http://www.praguepost.com/business/4531-google-under-investigation-for-stealing-private-data.html
Internet giant Google has apologized for the interception of personal data from Wi-Fi networks while gathering information for its Street View service.

And I am sure there is more.

 

[saha-med]

If apple had done it, oh no its apple wanting to keep ppl locked into their ecosystem, products blahblahblah


But when google does it, suddenly its rational thought, suddenly thats how search engines work, algorithms BRO

Oh the IRONY

 

[stewy]

Why would anyone search for an app this way?

 

[ksmolka]

Google Panda might be the reason

Recently Google pushed an update to their search algorithms Panda #25, so that might be the reason.

 

[irDigital0l]

Google just responded

We've been having some issues fetching pages from the iTunes web servers, and as a result some people may have had problems finding iTunes apps in search easily. We're working with the team there to ensure search users can find what they're looking for.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/2/41...g-itunes-store-links-in-search-results-due-to

 

[NOS2U]

Ping is my Default search engine

I switched to Bing as my default search engine about 2 years ago and haven't looked back! The only google product I use sometimes is Youtube. It has every "how to" video you can imagine.

 

[Tech198]

how dare Google do that .. Down rank my links

I can' t believe this actually made the news..... Google "decided" to change their ranking...

Google decides every day....... Whats the issue ?? Besides, all this stuff is on Googles help section about how ranking works...

 

[samcraig]

If apple had done it, oh no its apple wanting to keep ppl locked into their ecosystem, products blahblahblah


But when google does it, suddenly its rational thought, suddenly thats how search engines work, algorithms BRO

Oh the IRONY

That's not irony. And since Google does show iTunes links - just not prominently (because of the reason below - which I stated somewhat early in this thread) it's not at all like being "locked into" an ecosystem

Google just responded

What I figured. Not to mention - it's completely possible that Apple had something on their end which was temporarily (and by accident) blocking Google's access to their servers.

 

[alfistas]

Just like internet browsers, we need to have any internet search engines bookmarked. And use them all interchangeably. Cause what one refuses to search for, another might just find easily. This is not cause of can or can not find. This is all towards the bias people but on their respective search algorithms for whatever reasons.

Maybe Apple should create their own search engine...

----------

Google just responded

LOL!!!

Of course it was all innocent and unintentional...

 

[the8thark]

Maybe Apple should create their own search engine...

Nah just use MS bing and partner with MS.

 

[samcraig]

LOL!!!

Of course it was all innocent and unintentional...

Do you have evidence to the contrary. Glitches happen. They happen to Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and lots of companies that provide online services.

Are you familiar with Occam's razor?

 

[AidenShaw]

Maybe Apple should create their own search engine

Good idea - suddenly Android and Samsung would disappear from the fanbois' sights.

And, it would trim a dozen or so billions off Apple's cash horde to build a worldwide search infrastructure that wouldn't be laughable compared to Bing or Google. Think 20x the Apple North Carolina data centre.

 

[Snowy_River]

...The Yellow Pages used to have companies in bigger fonts and larger ads, depending on who paid them more to be featured...

Used to? Are you a business owner? I pay every year so that my business has a listing in the Yellow Pages. If I didn't pay, I wouldn't have a listing. Oh, and if I paid more, I could get a bold in line listing, not to mention bigger column ad space, etc. So, I'm not sure why you say "used to" unless you're suggesting that the Yellow Pages are obsolete so whatever they do doesn't matter anymore...

 

[syd430]

"Do no evil" my a**.

Google is just like the rest of the corporations. Money sucking, rule bending creature.

Yeah, corporations shouldn't exist for the profit of shareholders. How selfish of them. Corporations should only exist for the sole purpose funnelling all profits to my personal bank account while I sit it my basement.

Also you do realise that it's a public corporations duty to maximize profit within the existing regulatory framework? Anything short of that would send the board to the gallows.

 

[emptysoul]

Oh noze...google don't list the apple site first for every search term ever!!!

Seriously? People actually care about this?

 

[Stack Overflow]

People holding Google to one of their many mantras/mission value statements is about as silly as holding Apple to their "it just works" mantra.

Both are products of marketing/PR. Not facts.

Why do you seem to keep bringing Apple into this? "It just works" is completely irrelevant to the topic. Do you have some problem staying on topic?

 

[CShort]

I got the same results with bing with twitter iPhone
I don't think people use a desktop to search for apps on their phone since you know - there's an app for that.

 

[JAT]

I just can't believe there is this much discussion over a search that nobody needs to do. You people really like arguing over nothing. Thank god you have somewhere to do that.

 

[Judas1]

I see the problem here. People that don't understand tech and also own iphones. If you want to search for software, give some indication of the OS you want the software for, or the store that its located in (iTunes). iPhone is not an OS, and the internet is vast. Plus, in case you haven't noticed, twitter is huge, so how would the search engine know that someone doesn't want to search through twitter. I'm surprised twitter iphone even came up with the iTunes store.

 

[mejsric]

Why dump Google as default search engine? when Google’s pay $1 Billion In “Default Search” to Apple.

Business is business.. until www.siri.com

 

[Renzatic]

Why do you seem to keep bringing Apple into this? "It just works" is completely irrelevant to the topic. Do you have some problem staying on topic?

I think you missed the point of what he was saying.

 

[JGRE]

It is just an evil company.

 

[Mike MA]

The coming days will show