| Things that go wrong with Google searches for me on a weekly basis: * I search from Firefox and my browser spends 30 seconds in the middle of the redirection from .com to .co.uk * I click a search result and my browser spends 30 seconds waiting for the redirection/click tracking script, and there's no easy way to get the actual URL you are going to any more, so you have to wait * I type in a query and the auto-refresh kicks in, but it lags, and I (unnecessarily, because I am not used to the auto-search feature) hit enter on the keyboard as well, which leaves Google in a completely broken state where updating the query and hitting enter or the search button has no effect * I make a new search from Firefox and then perform a second search from inside that page, and the whole page locks up in the greyed out "I am loading more results" state. I hit refresh but the URL is still that of my original query, so I end up looking at that again instead * The search-as-you-type feature is enabled, despite me having disabled it over a dozen times now (and yes, I am signed in) For one reason or another, I have to wait several seconds to see my Google search results multiple times per day. That's a pretty low barrier for complaining, but it's also enough time to open a new tab, go to Bing.com, type in my original query again, and click the results - all before my Google query finishes loading. Other than issues with the unnecessary number of HTTP requests between my clicks and actually getting to the page I want, the obvious sticking factor is the search-as-you-type feature: It's reimplementing too much of the normal browser cycle, but isn't implemented well enough to not fall over, and these types of solutions don't integrate well with the tools I have to control page loads (the stop and refresh buttons). Edit: Also as a programmer I realise I am not in their 99% use case, but it is incredibly difficult for me to find the information I need these days. The auto-correct feature is in overdrive compared to how it worked a few years ago, and frequently 'corrects' technical terms to totally useless queries. Aggravating the issue is the removal of the '+' operator, and the fact that even quoted search terms now allow synonyms and corrections. There are lots of other issues with the search results in recent times, such as the predilection to give me 10 results all from the exact same website, but I drilled down on the technical issues because frankly the search results are still better on Google than their competitors. But the technical implementation and user experience? They are falling behind in those areas. |