For more than a couple of years now I have been keeping very close watch on the results using the search engine, Google, and the search term, sustainability. My project, EarthSayers.tv, the voices of sustainability is designed to be right up there (not yet though) along with Wikipediad on the term, a kind of educational videopedia just for sustainability. My objective is to make sure that on that first page of organic search results it isn’t a who’s who of corporate America with no options to learn about sustainability from the experts, business and civic thought leaders, citizens, teachers, kids. Granted wikipedia is educational, but it is also written by unknown sources and is, as such, heavily processed information, like white bread.
Up to now the biggest organization, other than Wikipedia, showing up on the first page of results was the E.P.A. and the rest were smaller, research and consulting companies, mostly all business to business (BtoB) companies, not consumer (BtoC) companies. That was until this week when Walmart showed up.
Sustainability Defined
I have also been tracking using Google Insights on what they call “rising searches” related to sustainability. Worldwide, since 2004, walmart sustainability is no. 1 in rising search with wikipedia in the no. 2 spot. No other large corporations are on this list. Do the same query for 2009 and the rising searches include SAP (no. 1), Microsoft (no. 4), both beating out environmental sustainability, with Walmart coming in 8th.
Walmart is in middle of pack
For 2009 in the U.S. the “Walmart Sustainability Index” is no. 1 on rising search with the highest number of searches coming from Oregon, Vermont, and Hawaii. It won’t be long before SAP, Microsoft, SAS and other large corporations are what you will see on the first page of Google search. Why is that a problem? Because the single net impression will be that corporations define sustainability and the issues associated with it such as environmental sustainability. They will own the term, sustainability, worldwide. And yes, research shows the kids don’t go beyond that first page and neither do many of us adults. It will contribute heavily to what I called out in my previous blog as valueswashing.
But wait. While keeping my eyes on the big picture something else started to happen this last week. Out of the blue Portland-based sustainability organizations suddenly appeared.
How is that I asked? I emailed several friends in San Francisco and asked them to do a search. Similar results to mine, but no Portland. How about Berkeley?
One can put in to any search a geo parameter, e.g. Portland or a zip code, but in this case no such geo parameter was added. So how did the search engine know I’m Portland and my friend is San Francisco? I cleaned by cache, removed Google cookies. I have recently removed my city from my Google profile. No change so far. My money, though, is on the profile information in Google.
Factoring in your geo location into search is a boon to retailers and other local businesses. I’m just now sure how it’s working and I’m not sure I like a search having a parameter that I don’t choose. But then I’m a librarian at heart (and by education) so this makes me nervous, directing access to a body of information based on profile information.
Does this bother anyone else out there?
In summary, there is a horse race on to own the search term sustainability using organic search. At the same time, search results are starting to vary depending upon the geo you are searching from without you stipulating a geo search parameter. Stay tuned.