Can the search engine manipulation effect (SEME) change real peoples perception of a subject?
Can an SEO influence users search path by Manipulating Google Autocomplete Predictions?
Google data showed 75% of the user search queries are affected by Google autosuggest so can the Search Engine Manipulation Effect come into force here?
Can search engines manipulate the outcomes of elections?
Many studies have indicated the search engine manipulation effect (SEME) can shift voting preferences.
So let’s dive into the search engine manipulation effects in January 2023.
What is the Search Engine Manipulation Effect?
The search engine manipulation effect is how the results shown in search engines can manipulate peoples thoughts.
Humans search Google for answers or research and these results can transform users opinions.
Studies have shown results in the SERPs can change outcomes in elections, political party votes and shift peoples mindset on all aspects of life.
Internet search rankings have significant impacts on consumer choices we make. We call this type of influence, which might be applicable to a variety of attitudes and beliefs, the search engine manipulation effect.
How Does the Search Engine Manipulation Effect work?
The search engine manipulation effect works because searchers believe the web pages ranking high in Google to be true.
Internet search rankings have a significant impact on consumer choices, mainly because users trust and choose higher-ranked results more than lower-ranked results.
As users read articles as being correct and accurate they form opinions on that subject matter.
High ranked pages can switch peoples thoughts on something and shift voting preferences.
The rankings of search results have a dramatic impact on consumer attitudes, preferences, and user behaviour.
Why the Search Engine Manipulation Effect Is So Powerful?
The search engine manipulation effect is so powerful because readers can be brainwashed into changing thoughts quickly.
With the ability to change consumer preferences from manipulations of search results it has insane power.
Recent studies indicated that such manipulations could shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by more than 20 per cent.
Biased search rankings can shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by 20% or more
Search ranking bias can be masked so that people show no awareness of the manipulation.
Using The Search Engine Manipulation Effect To Your Advantage
Here are several ways to use the Search Engine Manipulation Effect To Your Advantage:
- Get your brand names in the Google Autocomplete Suggestion to attract clicks using an agency like AutoSuggest.Me
- Rank your properties higher in Google Results to be seen as the trusted source by searchers
- Generate 5-star reviews for your brand online to raise your online reputation
- Enhance perceptions of corporate performance
- Buy backlinks from trusted sources like Wikipedia Links
- The more times your brand is found online by your potential customers the more trust is associated
- Get positive testimonials ranking number in YouTube using agencies like Video Veggie YouTube SEO
- Be seen on social media using service like Signal Boy for social signal engagement
- Increase purchasing behaviour with scarcity marketing
The advantages of having a great online reputation that is found a lot is essential for growth.
Popular Questions
Is Google search engine biased?
Google organic search results are not conservatively or liberally biased.
Google search engine has been accused of biasing its own products but according to Net Neutrality Institute that as far as there is any ‘bias’, Google is less biased than its principal competitor.
SEO can be carried out to try and optimise websites to rank higher in the Google search results.
How Google manipulates your search results?
Some investigations found that Google manipulated search algorithms by prioritising large businesses over smaller ones.
But SEO experts would say this is returning the best results for users because the large businesses have more trust online.
Google has been known to remove autocomplete results that involve sensitive topics like immigration and abortion. But again the reasoning for this is trying to not return any results which could cause harm or hate.
Google has been known to outright blacklisting some websites for not following Google guidelines.
Do Google search results change?
Yes, Google search results change regularly as they aim to provide relevant results for individual users.
The freshness of information can cause search results to be different if the query defines freshness.
One reason why SERP results for the same keyword can be different from one computer to the next is because of a user’s geographic location. Google tracks IP addresses to determine where you’re searching and locality can affect where a web page ranks.
What is Search Neutrality?
Search neutrality is where search engines should only return their results on being comprehensive, impartial and based solely on relevance.
Search neutrality is when a user types in a search query, the search engine should return the most relevant results found on the internet, without manipulating the order of the results.
Search engines should not be seen to exclude results, or in any other way manipulating the results to a certain bias.
Summary
The search engine manipulation effect really can influence and change peoples perception of a topic.
With the power to influence the mindset and decisions of individuals, SEME is hugely important to businesses, the government and anyone looking to influence people.
SEME has a dramatic impact on consumer attitudes, preferences, and user behaviour.
Influencing what searchers see and user search journeys can manipulate outcomes or thoughts on subject matters.
SEME is one of the largest behavioural effects ever discovered.
Resources
Digital Nomad
I’m a full-blown Search Engine Optimization specialist earning the majority of my income from SEO-focused endeavours, including affiliate marketing, lead generation, as well as SEO services. Love travelling the world networking while working on my laptop. Life is a perception of your own reality. You have no excuses and should be making memories every single day.
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