After Two Years Of Broken Promises, Does Google Need To Explain More To Maintain Trust In Search?

For two years running, Google’s broken major promises about search. It began doing paid inclusion in 2012, which it once called “evil.” This year, it’s experimenting with banner ads it said would never be allowed. Both represent major philosophical shifts for the company about search, but shifts it has largely avoided explaining. Does that erode […]

Chat with SearchBot

Google logoFor two years running, Google’s broken major promises about search. It began doing paid inclusion in 2012, which it once called “evil.” This year, it’s experimenting with banner ads it said would never be allowed. Both represent major philosophical shifts for the company about search, but shifts it has largely avoided explaining. Does that erode user trust?

That’s the focus of my column at MarTech this week, Google’s Broken Promises & Who’s Running The Search Engine?

It looks at the history behind both promises plus how search has a “fuzzy management” structure at Google, which perhaps means no one feels responsible to explain why such changes are happening. Or, perhaps Google feels it has so much trust that explanations are no longer necessary.

For more, see my column:


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Danny Sullivan
Contributor
Danny Sullivan was a journalist and analyst who covered the digital and search marketing space from 1996 through 2017. He was also a cofounder of Third Door Media, which publishes Search Engine Land and MarTech, and produces the SMX: Search Marketing Expo and MarTech events. He retired from journalism and Third Door Media in June 2017. You can learn more about him on his personal site & blog He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Get the must-read newsletter for search marketers.