Real People Work at Google!
So, that's quite a captivating headline; what am I going to be talking about today?
Actually, I have written about this before, the fact that Google actually employs people to help with its Search Quality Rating process.
But Google has recently published a new document, an overview of its Search Quality Rater Guidelines.
It's only 32 pages if you wish to read it yourself, but I thought I would summarize some of its points.
https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/hsw-sqrg.pdf
So, would you be surprised to know that Google employs around 14,000 people from around the world to help measure the quality of its search results?
Now, that doesn't mean that an individual person determines the ranking of the posts you write; that would be impossible.
Trillions of posts are added or updated every day, so there has to be a level of automation to determine rankings.
What Do Search Quality Raters Do?
The human raters are given a set of results that Google would offer in response to a specific search query.
They then look at each of these posts to determine two things - how well the page achieves its purpose and how useful a result is, for a given search.
The page is given a rating, and this is fed back into Google's system.
This helps Google understand how well its search results are working.
If a page is given the lowest possible rating by a human rater, then Google learns that it has given an inappropriate result.
In other words, nobody searching for that keyword would click on that result; it's irrelevant.
How Google Works
Here is an example that Google uses to help you better understand the process.
Google looks at the query first and then the user's location.
In this case, the query is Batman, and the user is located in California.
Next, Google has to work out what the user intent is - what are they actually looking for?
We can assume they want to know about the fictional superhero.
So, if Google was to include a post on page 1 of its search results that discusses the city of Batman in Turkey, no user would click on it.
A human rater would give that result the lowest possible score, so Google then learns that it isn't appropriate and would no longer show it on page 1 for the keyword Batman.
I hope you found this interesting; thanks for reading!
Recent Comments
30
Thanks for the information, Diane.
Reading the mass of information that is used for the results and being able to share is what our blogging is doing for our readers.
Taking massive amounts of information and getting it a bit more bite-size so that we can learn from it is a service to mankind. Will mankind appreciate it? Hopefully, it will sooner rather than later.
Thanks again for more knowledge about how Google 'thinks.'
Sami
Hi, Diane
Thanks for this very interesting info! I knew that Google was doing this on some level but it's great to learn more.
I can just imagine some person or spider looking at one of my published articles as I write this post and claiming it belongs on page 18,643 of the Google SERPs, AND below the fold! 😊
Frank 🎸
What do you mean "fictional superhero"?
Next you're gonna tell me that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy aren't real (I have proof they are)
I'm so upset!!!
Anyway, in other news, thank you for the Googley people update!!
Partha
See more comments
That is some pretty cool info about Google. When I stay in San Francisco the Montgomery building is across from my room, I stay in room on the ally side so my radio can reach the ice rink for comunication purpose. The floor in the building across from room is an army of desks, monitors and workers and often wonder if they are not working for Google.
I ran across Yahoo once also in San Francisco when I was lost, not for sure if it was the email or Bing in there.
Anyway thought I would share that tit bit and I am grateful my curiosity is cured in some of the human side of Google.
Have an awesome weekend. Hope you Hubbies foot is getting better.