The world's most popular search engine, Google, is reportedly set to rollout a significant overhaul of its search algorithm in the coming months.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Google is working on “semantic search”, which will better understand the context of search words and phrases in order to return more direct answers to questions.
This will mean that the search engine will prioritise direct facts and answers at the top of the results page, over and above the list of sites returned by the search. As a consequence, it is widely expected that businesses will have to alter their search optimisation strategies.
Reports say the changes could be the most significant in Google's history, and will impact millions of Web sites that rely on the search engine's page ranking system. The new model resembles that of Wolfram Alpha, which provides comprehensive answers to questions as opposed to just a list of other sites and sources.
The Wall Street Journal quotes Google search executive Amit Singhal as saying the new algorithm will better match search queries with a database of people, places and things that Google has gathered in the last two years.
The search giant will not replace its keyword-search system, but will rather bolster it with the introduction of the so-called “semantic search technology”. According to Singhal, Google is undertaking a year-long process of updating its strategy for the “next generation of search”.
Google previously ruffled feathers with the introduction of the “Search Plus Your World” update to its algorithm that saw the foregrounding of Google+ content in search results for personalised content.
At the time, Singhal said: “We're transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships.”
The change to the search algorithm prompted some angry responses from the likes of Twitter, as well as privacy advocates who called for an investigation into Google's search practices.
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