Google SearchWiki is a new feature on Google. This Web 2.0-esque feature allows users to modify their search engine results. I think that Google will continue to develop SearchWiki into an application that is more helpful.

SearchWiki allows Google users to customize their searches and leave comments on the search results. This isn’t exactly Web 2.0 as I see it, but it is a form of user interaction in searching. Since the changes made to the SERP (Search Engine Result Page) are only viewable to the person that made these changes, this isn’t completely Web 2.0.

Personally, I’m not going to take time to modify my SERPs. I use search engines (usually Google) to find something quick, not to ponder the results. Although I don’t use it, I am eager to see what Google does with SearchWiki. Somehow, they will have to make modified search results have an effect on other searches. It’s nice that I can influence my own searches, but what if I can influence someone else’s searches?

With SearchWiki, you can modify your search results. The icons next to the page title are used to do so.

If Google does decide to allow people to influence the searches of others, this may become a problem. This will take away Google’s method of ranking pages and give the power to the users. This could be catastrophic to the practice of SEO. This is probably what is stopping Google from shifting over to a more Web 2.0 type search.

The web relys on Google. Many users on the Web use Google’s search to find websites of their liking. Many websites set up their page so that user’s can find them. If Google changes the way that their search works, the entire web will change. For this reason, I doubt that Google will ever turn into a completely user-powered search engine. Google might make SearchWiki data from other users affect your searches, but they have to limit this to users that are logged and and have selected for this to occur.