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Way, way worse. There was a time you could force Google to only return pages with a specific term by wrapping it in double quotes (or further back, prefixing wi
by notreallyserio 5y ago
Way, way worse. There was a time you could force Google to only return pages with a specific term by wrapping it in double quotes (or further back, prefixing with a plus). This was useful when trying to learn about a specific error message/code. Now, it's a total crapshoot, and you may not get a single useful result at all.
- sumtechguy 5y agoFor many searches like that I use 'tools->all results->verbatim'. Seems to help.
- akvadrako 5y agoI've been using the verbatim mode by default for a couple years. It does improve the results substantially.
- finite_jest 5y agoInteresting, is it any different than putting the query in quotes?
- notreallyserio 5y agoGoogle may ignore the quotes entirely, although it's not clear when.
- alok-g 5y agoSame here. However, comparing what verbatim mode was before and is now, it has gone much worse. I just want barebones keywords search, with just the caveat to index just the words on the main part of a web page, not the surrounding ads, etc.
- skinkestek 5y agoDepends on which experiment you are part of. For long stretches of time Google flat out ignores verbatim operator when I try it.
- petemcc 5y agoCame here to say this. I have noticed this increasingly in the last few weeks, constantly getting 1st page results with the exact-match term struck through and semi-relevant-but-not-really results. Struggling to think of motivation for why this would be. Or is it a byproduct of shifts elsewhere.