So I was over reading Michael Jensen's blog SoloSEO about how Google was going to roll out Google suggest into the main engine, removing it from the Google Labs. Both Patrick Altoft and he were of the position that this would effectively kill the long tail. As Google will now be forcing users into high-volume, high-money terms (i.e., terms that people are bidding on via Adsense) it's almost like Google is creating a new Top 10 before the user is ever even taken to the SERPs. By having your primary keywords that you are ranking for listed in this drop down, you are far more likely to get traffic than those related terms that aren't being listed. When presented with options, people will generally choose one. That's not to say they will be satisfied with that result and only stay in those SERPs but I am willing to bet it's going to be the first stop for them. I am sure we could talk endlessly about how relevant these phrases are that Google is going to be offering searchers. Will users be forced to immediately perform another search to get the results that they actually want? Perhaps. But that's not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about how Google Suggest is going to lead to an Online Reputation Management nightmare for many.
As you see by the illustration above, for my name Google only suggests three items--one of them being the infamous zima meme that my wonderful friend Andy Beal started. So with my particular name it doesn't really matter. Instead, let's take a look at Barack Obama.
As you can see, there are two glaring negative results. One is the "obama antichrist" listing and the other is "obama muslim." Both of these results, however, are not among the top 10 results for the keyword "obama" because of savvy--and quite effective--online reputation management.
Indeed, Barack has done a very effective job on properly managing his online reputation. His efforts with Fight the Smears has been a transparent and up-front way to deal with untruths about himself and his campaign. However, now that Google Suggest is presenting users with these options, some users will be inclined to begin looking around in these SERPs. Even though Barack has done a wonderful job managing his online reputation, negative or false stories are now immediately brought to the front of the results for his name. So how do you manage this now? Over the next few weeks, I will start to take a look at what might be powering Google Suggest and how that can impact you and your online reputation management issues.
Just one last parting gift a look at suggested results for John Edwards. Again, we see a reputation management nightmare.
P.S. I can't believe I actually said Zima on my blog, I am so afraid of what I am going to start ranking for now :)
Update #1:
MikeTek, down in the comments & over on twitter, had pointed out another great reputation nightmare that has occurred because of Google Suggest. It's none other than SEOChampion, and a search for his name michael rotkin displays michael rotkin is a turd. This shouldn't surprise anyone as SEOChampion pissed off lots and lots of people, over at SES San Jose read up over at Dave Snyder's SnydeySense.
