Google is killing its user’s experience

Google’s recent changes have done everything to damage my experience as a Google user, and I can only hope Google realises their mistake.

Problem 1: Search suggestion

I don’t want “search suggestion” on by default for two reasons:

a) Sometimes in Firefox the autocomplete box won’t close, so I have to refresh the page so I can click the search button again.

b) I use Firefox autocomplete, so if I searched and found something interesting before, I can’t find my original search term on the Google homepage again - because Google’s Search Suggestion takes precedent.

Result? I have to keep refreshing Firefox, and I use search suggestion simply to get into the normal search results box, where I can recover key search strings.

2. Problem 2: Google Local - isn’t

Google Local is a complete pain. Here in the UK, if someone wants to find a local service, they are more likely to type in the name of a town.

Yet Google is not simply applying local results to major generic keywords - and therefore irrelevant - it is also getting the geolocations completely wrong for so many people. I haven’t spoken to anyone yet who is being properly geotargeted without having to prompt Google.

Oh yes - and then there’s the rampant local spam as well.

Take this search for “house prices” and look how relevant Google Local is to me, up in Scotland:

I’m sure even Google engineers know that Scotland and England are different countries, and Leeds is definitely in a different country to me.

Of course, I could change my location - but all you’re telling me that you’re not capable of delivering the service I asked for, and as I don’t want the local results in the first place, I have no motivation to change this - especially if it’s taken as a positive signal that I’m trying to use local, when I absolutely am not.

And look at that spam as well. Congrats, Google!

Here’s the key issue - Google are a US company, and the US is an extremely distributed. That means populations may be more likely to get IP’s assigned by their ISP that are relatively close to their actual location.

The UK has a relatively small area and a relatively high population for it, so IP’s are not assigned on the basis of user location, as much as server/datacentre location.

Google, you’re doing it wrong!

Google used to be everyone’s favourite homepage because it was so simple to use - but Google are filling their service with clutter, denigrating the user experience, and making it difficult to use.

They’re just lucky that no one else in the UK has even a remote chance of competing at present among search providers - but that shouldn’t make Google complacent.

After all, it can only negatively impact Google’s brand, and if it does that, can only knock value perception of the various other services Google tries to provide users.