Google Drop Down Suggestions

Over the last 24 months we have been watching Google and the search terms they suggest in the drop down.  With the latest Google update “Google Instant” it has become even more influential on how users will look at the results.

So here is a typical step by step scenrio of how Google Drop Downs could be seriously damaging your reputation online.

1. Potential candidate see job adverts online.  Like any good candidate they want to do research on the company before the interview.
2. Candidate can’t or does not know companies web address so in Google starts to type the company name.  Just as the put the final part of the company name google suggestes “Scam”.
3. Candidate then as anyone would wonders whats this? They click on the google suggested drop down now for Company Name + Scam and the results change from positive results to either negative ones or irrelevant ones.
4. Candidate is now put off by either the negative reviews, comments, articles (which may or may not be true) or even just by the idea its a scam.

The next scenario for how Google’s Drop Down Suggestions can hurt a company:

1. Customer is doing research on a building company, they see an advert but can’t remember the company website.
2. Customer starts to do a Google search and see company name + complaints, naturally they search for that suggestion.
3. Customer may now see a page of negative results rather than a balanced or positive ones.

Above are just a few examples of how Google suggestions can be very dmaging for a company or individual.  Check out this latest rulling in France, French court convicts Google and boss of defamation and a previous on Google Loses French Lawsuit Over Google Suggest.

The statement said that the Google Suggest function simply reflected the most common terms used in the past with words entered, so it was not Google itself that was making the suggestions.

So Google not taking responsibilty is a complete cop out, they invented and use Suggested Keywords, a business owner in the middle of Texas would never know what’s hit them.  they have no idea why business suddenly drops off until a customer comments that they saw something online.

We are doing tests ourselves and looking at how easy it is to influence Google search terms to be negative.  What is shocking is how easy it is to get negative suggestions to show, over the next few weeks we will be giving some examples.

Many of our clients believe that also competitors are the ones seeding the internet with negative reviews and comments.  We have clients from many different industires contacting us, here are just a few:

• Recruitment agencies
• Charities
• Vets
• Doctors
• Builders
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Software Companies
• Celebrities

The list goes on…