5 ms·

Can anyone reproduce this? When I search "Midjourney", I get an ad for Midjourney (from Midjourney), followed by Midjourney, the site. After that, I get the Mid

by johnfn 1y ago

Can anyone reproduce this? When I search "Midjourney", I get an ad for Midjourney (from Midjourney), followed by Midjourney, the site. After that, I get the Midjourney Discord, the Midjourney subreddit, the Midjourney Wikipedia page, and then (inexplicably), another Midjourney ad. That seems about as good as it could be. Edit: I guess I should say that I do agree that the quality of Google Search is pretty poor these days, so I directionally agree even though I can't reproduce this issue. Still, it's interesting to see how much our searches differ. I can't imagine what algorithm in Google decided to give me great results and you trash.

coronasaurus 1y ago
Same. On an android browser, not signed into any Google accounts. Got the legitimate result at the very top.
AstroJetson 1y ago
It was number 1 when using the "Web" link, it was also the number 1 when I clicked "all" Not sure why they get very different result.
verdverm 1y ago
Seriously, all I get is Midjourney links and links to midjourney official accounts on a number of other platforms Going incognito, the first link is a sponsored ad for... midjourney
- jeff_carr 1y ago
  [flagged]
fortyseven 1y ago
In a "private session" tab I'm getting on the first page: - the official site - their subreddit - their Discord server - Wikipedia - Facebook - LinkedIn
VladVladikoff 1y ago
Wondering if OP has malware that’s injecting results into the search.
- phanimahesh 1y ago
  We all have the malware injecting results into our searches. The ad networks graciously run part of the malware server side.
Denzel 1y ago
Google SERPs are personalized. Likely OP is a Midjourney user which is recorded in his targeting profile. When OP searches for Midjourney as a Midjourney user, Google’s algorithm infers he might want to consider an alternative because why would an existing user search for the product they’re already using. We see evidence supporting this given no Midjourney ad showed up for a direct keyword match query; and only alternatives triggered. This is kinda like Amazon retargeting you with alternative toasters after you just bought a new toaster. Most people think this is stupid. Well, the most likely cohort to buy a new toaster is a person that just bought one because they’re not satisfied with their purchase.
- johnfn 1y ago
  Interesting hypothesis, but I am also a Midjourney user.
  - Denzel 1y ago
    I oversimplified. :) Main gist is that SERPs are personalized and based on your targeting profile which makes the results non-deterministic, as we're experiencing. Google is the only entity who will ever truly know.
  - input_sh 1y ago
    Let me try to answer in an ELI5 fashion: You know how you can ask ChatGPT the same thing 3x in a row and get 3 completely different results? Google's basically the same and has been for a long time. If you and me both ask for something hyper-specific, we'll see the same results. But the more generic the search term is, the more hyper-personalised it gets. In some ways it makes sense, for example we shouldn't see the same thing when we search for "restaurants" as we're unlikely to be looking for restaurants on the other side of the world, in many other ways it's annoying and counter-productive.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  So in fact Amazon is incentivized to sell you a shitty toaster on your first purchase, hoping you’ll then come back and buy a better one.
henridwyer 1y ago
Yes, I see something similar for the query "Midjourney": 4 sponsored results from Deevid, Artlist.io, Lovart, Pollo AI (see the screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/ESM3xtJ https://imgur.com/a/ESM3xtJ) Finally Midjourney. Unlike in the article I have never visited Midjourney.
SoftTalker 1y ago
I searched on DDG, first result was www.midjourney.com the second result was the Wikipedia article about midjourney.
- Rebelgecko 1y ago
  That's pretty similar to what I see on Google 1. Actually website 2. Subreddit 3. Wikipedia
molteanu 1y ago
Yes, I can. I get deevid as a first result occupying the whole screen (on mobile) as it lists the sub-links, too (one of them being a sub-link to the "AI kissing generator") Then comes PixVerse, a sponsored result for a google play app. Then difuss.me. Then comes midjourney.
hedayet 1y ago
here's my repro: https://imgur.com/a/p0wBgWy https://imgur.com/a/p0wBgWy
liqilin1567 1y ago
Just tried on my own on google, I get the Midjourney official site on 1 result, followed by Wikipedia about Midjourney. I am not a midjourney user.
dncornholio 1y ago
That's when you are not logged into Google, they will show some organic results before the ads.
AtNightWeCode 1y ago
Historically. If you are logged in you get better results. I got no ads when logged in. Not logged in I got 8 ad links in total before the real site.
Recursing 1y ago
Another repro: https://imgur.com/a/ZNtA0rI https://imgur.com/a/ZNtA0rI

by johnfn 1y ago

coronasaurus 1y ago

Same. On an android browser, not signed into any Google accounts. Got the legitimate result at the very top.

AstroJetson 1y ago

It was number 1 when using the "Web" link, it was also the number 1 when I clicked "all" Not sure why they get very different result.

verdverm 1y ago

Seriously, all I get is Midjourney links and links to midjourney official accounts on a number of other platforms Going incognito, the first link is a sponsored ad for... midjourney

jeff_carr 1y ago
[flagged]

fortyseven 1y ago

In a "private session" tab I'm getting on the first page: - the official site - their subreddit - their Discord server - Wikipedia - Facebook - LinkedIn

VladVladikoff 1y ago

Wondering if OP has malware that’s injecting results into the search.

phanimahesh 1y ago
We all have the malware injecting results into our searches. The ad networks graciously run part of the malware server side.

Denzel 1y ago

Google SERPs are personalized. Likely OP is a Midjourney user which is recorded in his targeting profile. When OP searches for Midjourney as a Midjourney user, Google’s algorithm infers he might want to consider an alternative because why would an existing user search for the product they’re already using. We see evidence supporting this given no Midjourney ad showed up for a direct keyword match query; and only alternatives triggered. This is kinda like Amazon retargeting you with alternative toasters after you just bought a new toaster. Most people think this is stupid. Well, the most likely cohort to buy a new toaster is a person that just bought one because they’re not satisfied with their purchase.

johnfn 1y ago
Interesting hypothesis, but I am also a Midjourney user.
- Denzel 1y ago
  I oversimplified. :) Main gist is that SERPs are personalized and based on your targeting profile which makes the results non-deterministic, as we're experiencing. Google is the only entity who will ever truly know.
- input_sh 1y ago
  Let me try to answer in an ELI5 fashion: You know how you can ask ChatGPT the same thing 3x in a row and get 3 completely different results? Google's basically the same and has been for a long time. If you and me both ask for something hyper-specific, we'll see the same results. But the more generic the search term is, the more hyper-personalised it gets. In some ways it makes sense, for example we shouldn't see the same thing when we search for "restaurants" as we're unlikely to be looking for restaurants on the other side of the world, in many other ways it's annoying and counter-productive.
SoftTalker 1y ago
So in fact Amazon is incentivized to sell you a shitty toaster on your first purchase, hoping you’ll then come back and buy a better one.

henridwyer 1y ago

Yes, I see something similar for the query "Midjourney": 4 sponsored results from Deevid, Artlist.io, Lovart, Pollo AI (see the screenshot: https://imgur.com/a/ESM3xtJ https://imgur.com/a/ESM3xtJ) Finally Midjourney. Unlike in the article I have never visited Midjourney.

SoftTalker 1y ago

I searched on DDG, first result was www.midjourney.com the second result was the Wikipedia article about midjourney.

Rebelgecko 1y ago
That's pretty similar to what I see on Google 1. Actually website 2. Subreddit 3. Wikipedia

molteanu 1y ago

Yes, I can. I get deevid as a first result occupying the whole screen (on mobile) as it lists the sub-links, too (one of them being a sub-link to the "AI kissing generator") Then comes PixVerse, a sponsored result for a google play app. Then difuss.me. Then comes midjourney.

hedayet 1y ago

here's my repro: https://imgur.com/a/p0wBgWy https://imgur.com/a/p0wBgWy

liqilin1567 1y ago

Just tried on my own on google, I get the Midjourney official site on 1 result, followed by Wikipedia about Midjourney. I am not a midjourney user.

dncornholio 1y ago

That's when you are not logged into Google, they will show some organic results before the ads.

AtNightWeCode 1y ago

Historically. If you are logged in you get better results. I got no ads when logged in. Not logged in I got 8 ad links in total before the real site.

Recursing 1y ago

Another repro: https://imgur.com/a/ZNtA0rI https://imgur.com/a/ZNtA0rI