Is something wrong with Google or is this a one Off?

[starbearer]

This was a regular search for a regular (i.e. not uncommon or ambiguous) search item, an Octopus

While I'd normally expect search engines to throw up links which explain what an Octopus is, as that would be the more common ( and sane) answer, the results I saw with Google were a bit baffling.

While Bing gave an expected search result, with a wiki link to an Octopus and definitions of an Octopus etc.,there was no such link to an Octopus anywhere on Google.

Isn't this a bit weird?

[nub]

Octopus Wikipedia page is first result for me.

(Also who the hell doesn't know what a octopus is?)

[TAZMINATOR]

(Also who the hell doesn't know what a octopus is?)

I think OP is trying out each search sites and see the results and see which he likes the most...

I got an email from Microsoft saying that I could try Bing and Google .... see which results that I like better...

I haven't tested both search sites to try to compare ...

[starbearer]

Octopus Wikipedia page is first result for me.

(Also who the hell doesn't know what a octopus is?)

Just wanted to look up something about them.

But on Google India, there's no mention of what an Octopus is, anywhere in the search results. They all go on about Octopus cards and moves etc.

Also, last week, I had seen that "Bing it on", and Google won all rounds but 1.

I just found this result strange.

[Matthew_Thepc]

Seems like it might have something to do with your locality - in the US search results, it displays the Wikipedia page as #1 for me.

Or maybe it's just because it's analyzed your web history and then figured out that you're looking for travel? :p have you searched for travel discounts or anything, recently? try it in inprivate/private browsing/incognito mode.

[Arpit]

works fine here...

[Avalanche]

On google.be, wikipedia is on 3rd place, the rest has nothing to do with an octopus and images are on 6th place.

On bing.be, there is two links to wikipedia on 2nd and 3rd place, images are on 1st place.

Bing wins this round :)

[remixedcat]

Example: Please note I have Stylish Installed with a dark Google theme

Results are NOT affected by any addons I have.

[leesmithg]

Octopus Wikipedia page is first result for me.

(Also who the hell doesn't know what a octopus is?)

It is, 'an' Octopus b.t.w.

Google make money throught their search engine.

So if someone has a Cat and call it tiddles and people search for the 'a+cat+named+tiddles' and the owner of that cat has paid for that search to be numero uno, then google will

make sure it's #1.

[dead.cell]

It is, 'an' Octopus b.t.w.

Google make money throught their search engine.

So if someone has a Cat and call it tiddles and people search for the 'a+cat+named+tiddles' and the owner of that cat has paid for that search to be numero uno, then google will

make sure it's #1.

Yes, that's totally how it works. :rolleyes:

[+KibosJ Subscriber²]

Google.co.uk shows this for me:

Wikipedia is NOT at the top, the travel site is :/

[Orange Battery]

Google.co.uk shows this for me:

Wikipedia is NOT at the top, the travel site is :/

Same result for me but then we are both UK so not surprising.

[DKAngel]

mine tells the the top one is an add related to octopus which is in a peach coloured box, then right underneath which i concider to be #1 is the wiki

[sc302 Veteran]

It is, 'an' Octopus b.t.w.

Google make money throught their search engine.

So if someone has a Cat and call it tiddles and people search for the 'a+cat+named+tiddles' and the owner of that cat has paid for that search to be numero uno, then google will

make sure it's #1.

Wow. Just wow.

If it were as simple as that any time you searched ding dong my ding dong would be way up on the list. Google doesn't make money that way. Maybe you should look up how to get your website on googles first page. It isn't by paying google anything.

[Detection]

But on Google India, there's no mention of what an Octopus is, anywhere in the search results.

[firey]

in Canada octopus shows Wikipedia first.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Those look like sponsored results on Google to me. They pay Google to appear at the top, so that's your answer.