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Thanks for the response. Perhaps I don't understand how search engines work: If I search for a programming term and EE is the top result, what do Google lose if

Thanks for the response. Perhaps I don't understand how search engines work: If I search for a programming term and EE is the top result, what do Google lose if they kill or seriously de-prioritize the EE link? Wouldn't Google just show me the rest of the links? It's not like EE pages are the only result for searches...

dangrossman 17y ago
For lots of very specific error messages, they are the only page with an answer.
patio11 17y ago
Yeah, but for the kind of searches EE is winning for, all or most of the rest of the links are garbage. Think like a junior developer for writing queries needed to write Big Freaking Enterprise backend software. For example, the first thing that popped into my head for a query likely to generate an EE result was [sort combobox java] -- it is something that you'll actually have to do for Big Freaking Enterprise development, it uses an "unsexy" programming language, and the phrasing is just off enough that people who know what they're talking about wouldn't phrase their pages that way. And sure enough, EE wins. See http://www.pastie.org/881242 http://www.pastie.org/881242 for the other results with my annotations.
- raganwald 17y ago
  Interesting. Do they develop this organically or are they doing some keyword arbitrage-type stuff to include the keywords nobody else is hitting?
  - piramida 17y ago
    No, but the sheer amount of junior developers who asked questions there over the last 10 years guaranteed that every possible way to incorrectly phrase a question is already answered. SO is - better open model, better interface, but lacks volume especially in some areas, and lacks trolling-question controls (i.e. "which language is better" type of million-answer threads). But it will mature, I find it interesting enough to contribute.
petercooper 17y ago
EE pages are so annoying that people hit "Back" and think "what the hey, the real results are crap" before clicking on an ad. Without the EE pages, people would just think.. "ah, can't find an answer" and go away ;-)

dangrossman 17y ago

For lots of very specific error messages, they are the only page with an answer.

patio11 17y ago

Yeah, but for the kind of searches EE is winning for, all or most of the rest of the links are garbage. Think like a junior developer for writing queries needed to write Big Freaking Enterprise backend software. For example, the first thing that popped into my head for a query likely to generate an EE result was [sort combobox java] -- it is something that you'll actually have to do for Big Freaking Enterprise development, it uses an "unsexy" programming language, and the phrasing is just off enough that people who know what they're talking about wouldn't phrase their pages that way. And sure enough, EE wins. See http://www.pastie.org/881242 http://www.pastie.org/881242 for the other results with my annotations.

raganwald 17y ago
Interesting. Do they develop this organically or are they doing some keyword arbitrage-type stuff to include the keywords nobody else is hitting?
- piramida 17y ago
  No, but the sheer amount of junior developers who asked questions there over the last 10 years guaranteed that every possible way to incorrectly phrase a question is already answered. SO is - better open model, better interface, but lacks volume especially in some areas, and lacks trolling-question controls (i.e. "which language is better" type of million-answer threads). But it will mature, I find it interesting enough to contribute.

petercooper 17y ago

EE pages are so annoying that people hit "Back" and think "what the hey, the real results are crap" before clicking on an ad. Without the EE pages, people would just think.. "ah, can't find an answer" and go away ;-)