Dr. Pete over at SEOmoz recently wrote an interesting piece about Google’s preference for big brands that could ultimately be a downfall and the ways in which the search giant should spread the love.

It used to be the case that a single domain, whether it belonged to a big brand or not, couldn’t hope for more than one or two listings in SERP results. Nowadays, one company can dominate the top ten search results, such as in the case of Apple. This is great for the brand, but how about for consumers?

Figuring out intent: the easiest way for Google to figure out what people are actually searching for when they type in a term like “Apple” is to see what they’re searching for before and after. If they’re looking for things like “iTunes” and “music” it’s likely they’re looking for the brand whereas if they look up facts about fruit, they’re probably looking for, well, the fruit. This can help Google determine what kinds of sites they should be showing in the top ten, and how varied the results should be.

Bing: Bing has a great Search Funnel Tool that Google doesn’t, and it even more clearly shows intent by consumers. Though Bing users definitely differ from Google’s, their searches fall in line with what we’ve already learned about the searches surrounding the term “apple.” The last thing Google wants to do is to create an environment where people can’t find what they need. If searchers are trying to buy Apple products, they don’t need a Wikipedia article about Apple.

What Does This Mean?
It’s tough for any engine to interpret meaning in each term, but the danger in brand loyalty by engines is that consumers will pay the price for these partnerships. It doesn’t benefit anyone for searchers to be pigeonholed by their searches, and Google should try harder not to be too brand focused.

Thank to H. Hendrick for the summary

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