
The top Google result for 'blockchain' is a scam ad - svenfaw
http://i.imgur.com/rGgj0aX.png
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Mendenhall
In my personal experience google search has gotten vastly worse in last 6 or
so years. It seems like 5 paid ads then about 10 posts from sources that are
just popular websites that cover the "topic" but arent really what you are
looking for.

It seems like years ago I could find information consistantly from obscure
websites just by using combos of words, but now I cant even get to those sites
with same words or even close.

Paid scam ads like this is another reason I dont use google anymore.They
obviously dont really care how bad those paid ads are.

~~~
johndifool
"this is another reason I dont use google anymore"

What are the alternatives? I am trying that too but can't find s...t using
duckduckgo and the gang.

~~~
Mendenhall
I would be curios to that as well, I currently use duckduckgo the most. I have
been getting more and more used to how it searches so I have become better
with it. I still don't find it as good as the old google, but I honestly cant
find what im looking for easily on google anymore.

I usually am researching obscure rare things that only a few websites in the
world are talking about and before I could easily find it just by using the
combo of key words in google. Now in my experience forget that, it will focus
on one key word and give you every huge website that has used it in some
article etc.

I lack the knowledge about the algorithms etc that they use, but as far as
someone who searched a lot of things and used to enjoy googles actual search
engine I just personally find its moving backwards.

Sorry I couldn't be more help :) If you have any good suggestions let me know!

~~~
nefariousoctopi
Oddly, the google seems to be working much better for me if I use whole
sentences (How to..., Where can I...). This is really annoying.

I am using DucDuckGo as there is currently no better alternative. It is not
great, but it serves its purpose. Also, you can add "!g" before any query.
This will search on google instead :)

~~~
Alphasite_
This matches my experience, keyword based searches no longer provide anything
of value, but natural language sentences lead to far better results.

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galfarragem
Top result for Skrill also:

[http://imgur.com/f9FpJXy](http://imgur.com/f9FpJXy)

~~~
angry-hacker
Wow. I get the same ad. It's literally a phishing site where they want you to
"log-in".

Insert random data. Next, it asks you to insert your date of birth. In the
case of Skrill asks it when they try to rob you. And if that is not enough,
eventually they send you to the real website with an affiliate link (id
16258373) !

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markbao
It leads to a page that has a bad screenshot of blockchain.info and the only
button that works is the Login button. Crazy how Google didn't screen this
out.

Google's ad report page:
[https://support.google.com/adwords/troubleshooter/4578507](https://support.google.com/adwords/troubleshooter/4578507)

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sccxy
Adblockers aren't just for annoying banners.

It protects from scams and viruses also.

~~~
sudojudo
So true. I've got a humbling anecdote to emphasize this point...

Had a non-tech friend ask me to put some music on his iPhone. I didn't have
iTunes installed, so that was step one. I had Windows and IE running because I
had been testing something, so I just hopped on Google and clicked on the top
link for iTunes. All the while, I was lecturing my friend about how filthy the
internet is, and how you have to be constantly vigilant. Yeah, and to prove
it, my machine instantly filled with malware when I hit the iTunes executable.

The top link on Google for iTunes, one of the most downloaded pieces of
software in existence, was a paid ad that installed a truckload of nasty
malware. I walked right into the trap because I was accustomed to using ad
blockers.

It used to be that when people had a machine full of malware, they'd been up
to something fishy, like downloading free porn. These days, all it takes is a
Google search for their favorite product.

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Pxtl
Honestly, I'm bewildered that the Google ad slot is worth anything. Even when
I search for a commercial product, I skip the ads for the store because the ad
links to a useless homepage while the organic results link deep in to the
exact product.

~~~
prdonahue
You aren't their target audience. Think about most other, less technically
savvy people in the world — they don't know any better and will often click
whatever they see.

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callesgg
My first is for Blockchain.info

or accenture.com with ad block off. Google searches are personalized. I think
it is fair to assume there is some personalization in the AD results as well.

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justifier
this is an interesting head scratcher from the third episode of the third
season of silicon valley

in it the ceo of hooli, a standin for all sv bigcorps, complains that hooli
search's first result for his name is bad press on him

he says he wants his engineers to change it to good press

they respond, 'are you asking us to modify the underlying algorithm? that
would be unethical'

the ceo agrees, 'that would be unethical, and that is why i would never ask
any hooli engineer to compromise the integrity of our underlying algorithm'

and then goes and asks another division to 'exploit' the algorithm by creating
a swarm of referral links to positive press on him

what's interesting here is this requirement to retain the integrity of the
algorithm completely ignores the fact that the algorithm is itself flawed and
easily exploited

a similar problem to google search is youtube's current issues with dmca

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deprave
A Google ad isn't a (top) result. It's an ad. With Google, ads are always at
the top.

If you want to avoid ads, install uBlock Origin
([https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock](https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock)). I'm
shocked people who visit this site don't already do so.

~~~
NetStrikeForce
So, those scammers might be stupid to pay for something that won't work,
right?

It is a top result by definition. Google, You and I know not everyone is aware
of the implications of a paid ad (e.g. not so relevant for your search). I
personally consider it a dark pattern to put ads there, but I guess they know
better than me how to build an empire.

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golergka
Is blockchain.info really a scam ad? Because it's the first result here; the
first link is an ad, not a result.

~~~
takeda
It's hard to understand what you said, but the first entry (the ad) is a scam.
Check the spelling.

~~~
golergka
First entry is not a searh result.

~~~
takeda
It is based on your search, so technically is. It's just sponsored result.

