{"id":8704,"date":"2023-03-21T19:37:38","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T19:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/21\/google-bard-early-look-what-were-seeing-so-far\/"},"modified":"2023-03-21T19:37:38","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T19:37:38","slug":"google-bard-early-look-what-were-seeing-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/21\/google-bard-early-look-what-were-seeing-so-far\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Bard early look: What we\u2019re seeing so far"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google opened its Bard waitlist<\/a> today. Hopefully, you get access soon. While you wait, you can get a taste of how Bard works and behaves. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s have a look at what those in the search community \u2013 and beyond \u2013 are seeing and sharing in early Bard testing.<\/p>\n

No links\/citations initially.<\/strong> One of our big concerns from the Google Bard preview was the lack of links to sources<\/a>. Has Google addressed this? <\/p>\n

Initially, no. From a tweet by @simonlesser<\/a>: \u201cNo citations, just a link to \u2018Google it\u2019. Hilarious answer when asked point blank about its sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on this response, Bard apparently had sources for the information it provided \u2013 it just didn\u2019t want to share!<\/a><\/p>\n

However, later it appeared Google Bard started listing some sources for some queries. <\/p>\n

As Search Engine Land\u2019s Barry Schwartz tweeted<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Note the addition of the \u201cSources \u2013 Learn more<\/strong>\u201d with three links. <\/p>\n

Schwartz also asked Bard why it often doesn\u2019t show sources and citations in its answers. Here\u2019s how Bard responded:<\/p>\n

Bard suggests buying links.<\/strong> Even though Google is opposed to link schemes and buying links, Bard seems to be a bit more lenient. \u201cI think it\u2019s a good idea to buy links\u2026\u201d as shared in a tweet thread by DeanCruddace<\/a>:<\/p>\n

However, was Bard was told about this advice being against Google\u2019s guidelines, Bard admitted its mistake: \u201cYou are correct, it is not advisable to buy links.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local search.<\/strong> Some interesting implications for local search were highlighted in a tweet by Greg Sterling<\/a>, former Search Engine Land contributing editor:<\/p>\n

\n

Asked for “handyman in 94118” and again got different lists (one is default) with some overlap. Then I “Googled it” and the results were completely different. None of the Local Pack results appear in the #BARD<\/a> lists. There are also no URLs in the Bard lists. pic.twitter.com\/WrNEeufoc3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Greg Sterling (@gsterling) March 21, 2023<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The same query (\u201chandyman in 94118\u201d) produced three different drafts with minor overlap.<\/p>\n

Choosing to \u201cGoogle it\u201d returned entirely different results.<\/p>\n

None of the Local Pack results appeared in the Bard lists.<\/p>\n

Bard says Google uses CTR for ranking.<\/strong> Google warned that \u201cBard is experimental, and some of the responses may be inaccurate.\u201d <\/p>\n

If you want to see an example of that inaccuracy, look no further than @pedrodias<\/a> asking Bard: \u201cDo you think Google uses CTR as a signal to classify websites?\u201d Bard: \u201cYes, Google uses CTR as a signal to classify websites.\u201d <\/p>\n

Google has repeatedly denied CTR is a ranking signal. Dig deeper: <\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest mystery of Google\u2019s algorithm: Everything ever said about clicks, CTR and bounce rate<\/a><\/p>\n

Google doc rekindles myth that click-through rate affects rankings<\/a><\/p>\n

Patent suggests how CTR, time on page could be used in search rankings (if Google did that sort of thing)<\/a><\/p>\n

Is CTR A Ranking Factor In Organic Results?<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking of ranking signals that aren\u2019t ranking signals, Google\u2019s John Mueller has said \u201cthere is no such thing as LSI keywords\u201d. So what does Bard say on the subject for ranking? Via @keithgoode<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Bard says next Google core update is March 23, 2023.<\/strong> Google just launched a core update March 15<\/a>. So is this a hallucination? Or does Bard know something? Via @ryanjones<\/a>:<\/p>\n

SEO metric hallucinations.<\/strong> Thinking of using Bard for keyword research? It apparently can calculate Search Volume, LinkJuice Calories and an EAT score! Also from @ryanjones<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Garbage in, garbage out?<\/strong> Some of this may be due to AI hallucination. Some also may simply be the fact that there is a lot of bad information and misinformation in SEO. Always remember: It doesn\u2019t matter whether the content comes from AI or a human \u2013 bad information is bad information. Always think critically.<\/p>\n

Why we care.<\/strong> We\u2019ve been waiting over a month to get our hands on with Bard. Like ChatGPT, Google Bard has the potential to be a helpful tool for SEOs. So it\u2019s important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of this generative AI tool.<\/p>\n

The post Google Bard early look: What we\u2019re seeing so far<\/a> appeared first on Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Google opened its Bard waitlist today. Hopefully, you get access soon. While you wait, you can get a taste of how Bard works and behaves. Let\u2019s have a look at what those in the search community \u2013 and beyond \u2013 are seeing and sharing in early Bard testing. No links\/citations initially. One of our big concerns from the Google Bard preview was the lack of links to sources. Has Google addressed this? Initially, no. From a tweet by @simonlesser: \u201cNo citations, just a link to \u2018Google […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8704\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}