July 29, 2008 72 Comments

Is Google Putting a Horse Head in Cuils Bed

Look at this Google Search result:
google screencap

I just did a search on “Cuil” in Google, and the first result is a Google News post about why Cuil’s not much of a threat. That *really* ranks above the main site?

**Update 2: Matt Cutts came to the comments section to refute the post. I guess the brevity of my post didn’t permit me to give the right amount of disclaimers: 1.) I would never dispute the Goog’s search algorithms. 2.) Most everything I run my life on starts with G. 3.) I was mostly surprised by the result, not actually claiming that Google would manipulate a search result. 4.) Hey, Matt Cutts came by! Cool, eh?

**Update: I’m #5 because of personalized search. Guess I’m not #5 to everyone. Well, it was fun while it lasted. .. >>Formerly: And hey, I’m #5. Woohoo!

My point: is search a battlefield? People writing about Knol think so.

Related articles by Zemanta
Zemanta Pixie

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Genesis Framework

Genesis Theme Framework

The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. Whether you're a novice or advanced developer, Genesis provides you with the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.

With automatic theme updates and world-class support included, Genesis is the smart choice for your WordPress website or blog.

Become a StudioPress Affiliate

Newer Comments →
  • Pete

    If it’s a drive-by, it’s pretty subtle.

    The news results are always first. And all the news about Cuil is bad news.

  • Pete

    If it’s a drive-by, it’s pretty subtle.

    The news results are always first. And all the news about Cuil is bad news.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Oh. Were they? Rats. : )

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Oh. Were they? Rats. : )

  • http://www.somewhatfrank.com Frank Gruber

    lol, good stuff Chris. Culi sure did launch with a pyrotechnics show!

  • http://www.somewhatfrank.com Frank Gruber

    lol, good stuff Chris. Culi sure did launch with a pyrotechnics show!

  • Sam

    Yahoo’s news search results are about the same:

    Cuil – News Results

    Why Cuil Is No Threat to Google Time… – Jul 28 03:38pm
    Ex-Google engineers debut ‘Cuil’ way to search AP via… – Jul 28 03:45pm
    Cuil Stumbles out of the Gate PC World… – Jul 28 03:00pm

  • http://www.mikespoints.com Mike Driehorst

    Yeah, Yahoo! search and news search also included that listing about “no threat” at the top.

    But, a Google news search for cool does bring up a Cuil news article at #4.
    -Mike

  • Sam

    Yahoo’s news search results are about the same:

    Cuil – News Results

    Why Cuil Is No Threat to Google Time… – Jul 28 03:38pm
    Ex-Google engineers debut ‘Cuil’ way to search AP via… – Jul 28 03:45pm
    Cuil Stumbles out of the Gate PC World… – Jul 28 03:00pm

  • http://www.mikespoints.com Mike Driehorst

    Yeah, Yahoo! search and news search also included that listing about “no threat” at the top.

    But, a Google news search for cool does bring up a Cuil news article at #4.
    -Mike

  • Jeff

    Search is absolutely a battlefield. Propaganda my friends. I love the competitive nature of this type of creative strategy. Look at this unbelievable thing…. http://www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2

  • http://www.daviddalka.com/createvalue/ David

    News is *not* always first in a Google ranking when there is news.

  • Jeff

    Search is absolutely a battlefield. Propaganda my friends. I love the competitive nature of this type of creative strategy. Look at this unbelievable thing…. http://www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2

  • http://www.daviddalka.com/createvalue/ David

    News is *not* always first in a Google ranking when there is news.

  • BuBBy Oxide

    Does Cuil even work? All my searches yesterday resulted in Cuil whining that it was overloaded.

    Also, the name Cuil is going to be their downfall. Only about 2% of the population is going to be able to remember that let alone spell it. They flushed themselves down the crapper right out of the gate.

  • Yael

    That’s funny, the first thing I had put on Cuil was Google…
    Well done on the #5!

  • BuBBy Oxide

    Does Cuil even work? All my searches yesterday resulted in Cuil whining that it was overloaded.

    Also, the name Cuil is going to be their downfall. Only about 2% of the population is going to be able to remember that let alone spell it. They flushed themselves down the crapper right out of the gate.

  • Yael

    That’s funny, the first thing I had put on Cuil was Google…
    Well done on the #5!

  • Matt

    What’s more frightening: Google killing Cuil, or Cuil succeeding?

  • Matt

    What’s more frightening: Google killing Cuil, or Cuil succeeding?

  • http://qwidget.com/blog mike

    Ironic that those results from Google give cause to wonder about google’s search quality. It’s hard to believe that this result was #4 – http://www.anses.gov.ar/cuil.htm. With all of the writing about Cuil recently, that page really deserves such high billing?

  • Matt

    @David – But it usually is.

  • http://qwidget.com/blog mike

    Ironic that those results from Google give cause to wonder about google’s search quality. It’s hard to believe that this result was #4 – http://www.anses.gov.ar/cuil.htm. With all of the writing about Cuil recently, that page really deserves such high billing?

  • Matt

    @David – But it usually is.

  • http://dylanatkinson.blogspot.com/ Dylan Atkinson

    LOL, I like how you came up as number 5. They must have saw your complaints about how your results came up when you tested your name on Cuil :-)

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Cuil is the North Korea of search.

  • http://dylanatkinson.blogspot.com/ Dylan Atkinson

    LOL, I like how you came up as number 5. They must have saw your complaints about how your results came up when you tested your name on Cuil :-)

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    Cuil is the North Korea of search.

  • http://eggheadmarketing.wordpress.com/ rsomers

    What’s intriguing to me is to click through to the management team at http://www.cuil.com/info/management/. I see:

    *Strong technology focus on the part of the CEO, President, VP’s of Engineering and Products
    *No Marketing focus per se. No VP Marketing, and VP Product has a technology rather than a marketplace focus. VP Communications has a good background in corporate comm, but that isn’t a role that typically feeds back into product design and positioning.

    Would their debut have been different had 1) Marketing been empowered on an executive level, and 2) the positioning been more refined? ‘The World’s Biggest Search Engine’ may be accurate in a technical sense, but in the marketplace it’s not credible positioning. Kind of like saying Fatty Arbuckle was the ‘Biggest Star Ever’ – technically true but irrelevant to what we’d like the word ‘biggest’ to convey.

  • http://eggheadmarketing.wordpress.com/ rsomers

    What’s intriguing to me is to click through to the management team at http://www.cuil.com/info/management/. I see:

    *Strong technology focus on the part of the CEO, President, VP’s of Engineering and Products
    *No Marketing focus per se. No VP Marketing, and VP Product has a technology rather than a marketplace focus. VP Communications has a good background in corporate comm, but that isn’t a role that typically feeds back into product design and positioning.

    Would their debut have been different had 1) Marketing been empowered on an executive level, and 2) the positioning been more refined? ‘The World’s Biggest Search Engine’ may be accurate in a technical sense, but in the marketplace it’s not credible positioning. Kind of like saying Fatty Arbuckle was the ‘Biggest Star Ever’ – technically true but irrelevant to what we’d like the word ‘biggest’ to convey.

  • http://www.shawnblog.com/ Shawn Honnick

    I searched the name of a somewhat obscure podcast with and without quotes. There are 200+ results for this found on Google, so it’s well indexed and there are Facebook, twitter and other references to the name.

    ZERO (0) results appear on cuil.

    It looks pretty slick and maybe they’re still ramping up, but when I search the web, I want to find the newest content for item or topic I’m searching. I’d have to agree that this story appearing as the top news result is relevant since the search is obviously inferior.

    (one guess as to who’s podcast I was searching;)

  • http://www.shawnblog.com/ Shawn Honnick

    I searched the name of a somewhat obscure podcast with and without quotes. There are 200+ results for this found on Google, so it’s well indexed and there are Facebook, twitter and other references to the name.

    ZERO (0) results appear on cuil.

    It looks pretty slick and maybe they’re still ramping up, but when I search the web, I want to find the newest content for item or topic I’m searching. I’d have to agree that this story appearing as the top news result is relevant since the search is obviously inferior.

    (one guess as to who’s podcast I was searching;)

  • http://betterlivingthroughintrospection.com/ Jason

    Even better is searching cuil for cuil. Oh, the hilarity.

  • http://betterlivingthroughintrospection.com/ Jason

    Even better is searching cuil for cuil. Oh, the hilarity.

  • http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/ Matt Cutts

    Hi Chris, if your question is “Did Google change its rankings or otherwise do anything different for Cuil?” then the answer is an emphatic no.

    As far as why your blog shows up at #5 when you search, perhaps you have personalized search on? To turn off personalized search, sign out from Google or add “&pws=0″ to the end of your search url.

  • http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/ Matt Cutts

    Hi Chris, if your question is “Did Google change its rankings or otherwise do anything different for Cuil?” then the answer is an emphatic no.

    As far as why your blog shows up at #5 when you search, perhaps you have personalized search on? To turn off personalized search, sign out from Google or add “&pws=0″ to the end of your search url.

  • http://www.ThePrimeSpot.TV KaRi from ThePrimeSpot.com

    YOU rank high!

    Hey, why not hold a PODCAMP in Long Beach, CA?
    I’d love to promote that!

  • http://www.ThePrimeSpot.TV KaRi from ThePrimeSpot.com

    YOU rank high!

    Hey, why not hold a PODCAMP in Long Beach, CA?
    I’d love to promote that!

  • http://imprudentnecessities.blogspot.com/ MarkWis

    I think Cuil has a way to go and at this stage is not a threat or significant issue to Google. Let’s not forget Google’s built in audience that they developed with services ranging from Docs to Blogger.

    On a related issue, I just wrote about how far Cuil has to go (in my blog on blogger *rolls eyes at self*) in regards to their sorting and presentation of certain information.

    http://imprudentnecessities.blogspot.com/2008/07/so-not-cool.html

  • http://imprudentnecessities.blogspot.com/ MarkWis

    I think Cuil has a way to go and at this stage is not a threat or significant issue to Google. Let’s not forget Google’s built in audience that they developed with services ranging from Docs to Blogger.

    On a related issue, I just wrote about how far Cuil has to go (in my blog on blogger *rolls eyes at self*) in regards to their sorting and presentation of certain information.

    http://imprudentnecessities.blogspot.com/2008/07/so-not-cool.html

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    @KaRi – why don’t YOU host one? That’s the point. : )

  • http://chrisbrogan.com chrisbrogan

    @KaRi – why don’t YOU host one? That’s the point. : )

  • Ryno

    Warfare! Look at how the big 4 internet companies are waging war right now!…. http://www.gothamtechminute.blogspot.com

  • Ryno

    Warfare! Look at how the big 4 internet companies are waging war right now!…. http://www.gothamtechminute.blogspot.com

  • http://theoutsidr.com Zach

    What a fantastic title. :)

  • http://theoutsidr.com Zach

    What a fantastic title. :)

  • http://www.shawnblog.com/ Shawn Honnick

    Google has pretty clear results http://www.cuil.com/search?q=google&sl=long

    At least I can find Google.

  • http://www.shawnblog.com/ Shawn Honnick

    Google has pretty clear results http://www.cuil.com/search?q=google&sl=long

    At least I can find Google.

  • http://www.ThePrimeSpot.TV KaRi from ThePrimeSpot.com

    Because I’m still a wanna-be, Chris!

  • http://www.ThePrimeSpot.TV KaRi from ThePrimeSpot.com

    Because I’m still a wanna-be, Chris!

Newer Comments →
GetSocial