Google`s Quality Rater Guidelines Leaked - Researching and Understanding the Query
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Raters are advised to understand the query:
You should understand each query before you evaluate it. If the meaning of the query is unclear, you will need to do web research to learn about it. You can do this by entering the query in the search box of one or more search engines and looking at the results returned by them.
This implies that Google invests heavily in understanding a searcher's intention instead of matching words and phrases on websites. There are definitely a number of algorithms tasked with this. Here's more proof:
Sometimes you may feel unsure which of two ratings to give: Relevant or Useful? Not Relevant or Relevant? When you are unsure, select the lower rating.
The types of queries are not as important and are relatively known, so we'll spend just a few seconds covering each.
Navigational
This is a basic request, such as ebay or amazon.com. Relevant results are official websites.
Informational:
The goal is to find information and read something on the topic.
Transactional:
The user is looking to buy something, download or interact with the resource.
Rating Scale
This is a revealing section. Google classifies pages as:
Vital
Useful
Relevant
Non Relevant
Off topic
Vital
Query: The query has a dominant interpretation. The dominant interpretation is navigational.
Page: The page to evaluate is the official web page of the query.
Examples:
Query | Vital | Vital Page | Description |
Singapore airport | Yes | http://www.changi.airport.com.sg/ | Official home page |
toyota camry | Yes | http://www.toyota.com/camry/index.html | Official product page on the correct site |
apple | Yes | http://www.apple.com/ | The dominant interpretation of this is Apple Computer, Inc., and this is the official home page. |
Vital queries must have an official site in the search results. Whenever you search for a celebrity name, Google tries to show the official website as a "Vital result." Think of vital queries as brand searches.
As a webmaster, I wouldn't be concerned about vital queries unless I had a strong brand name. In that case it is important to fall in into "Vital" category for "brand" searches (by brand search I also refer to names like "Toronto Pearson Airport" or "Tom Cruise").
Official blogs such as those on MySpace and Face book of individuals (like Britney) are also considered vital.
Next: Useful and Relevant >>
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