Google ‘Understands Users Better’

Newspapers are letting web visitors “fall through the cracks” as they don’t fully understand the user experience.

That’s the view of new media blogger Scott Karp, who says Google is hoovering up the benefits by better tailoring its services to what users need and want.

Karp argues his case on his blog by looking online for the latest information regarding severe storms in Washington.

He turns first to the Washington Post website but can’t find what he wants so ends up going to Google to search there instead, noting “is it any wonder why Google makes $20 billion (£10 billion) on search?”

Through this circuitous route Karp locates the information he wants on Post.com, but claims “it is BURIED three layers deep, where I couldn’t FIND it”.

He adds: “It’s like newspapers on the web as saying: Here’s all the static stuff we produced for the paper - you want all of our dynamic web innovation? Oh, that’s downstairs, in the back room. Knock twice before you enter.”

Karp’s solution: “Just a search box and a list of blogs.

“Instead of putting all the web-native content and publishing in the blog ghetto, why not make that the WHOLE site?”

And one more thing from Karp – take a leaf out of Google’s book and try to gain a better understanding of user experience.

“Google is obsessed with not letting any users fall through the cracks.

“That’s the brutal reality of the web that we all live by. We can have all these features and content and design and intent, but the user experience is the only arbiter.

“Google understands this better than newspapers. If newspapers understood it better, their sites would get better, which would create more economic value for them on the web.”