Hmmm. Google and "Smartgunlaws.org"

[ELB]

Recently I've been googling guns and gun laws a lot, mostly checking things related to questions I think up about the upcoming legislative session, licensed carry laws, etc. Most recently (about 10 minutes ago) I was looking up stats related to NICS checks.

I haven't kept a log, but I have started noticing that "smartgunlaws.org" keeps popping up as the first hit on google searches. Not as one of the sponsored web sites that appear at the top, the ones where people pay to be first, but first of the "regular" search hits.

This seems very peculiar to me.

I have not researched the lineage of "smartgunlaws.org" and the organization that owns the website, the "Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence", but they claim to have been in business for 20 years. They have a map that shows gun law ratings for the US in which most states get an "F", and a very few -- you can guess which ones -- get higher ratings.

I have not seen them at the top of searches in the past, but have started seeing it recently. As I said, I find it peculiar, and frankly wonder if Google is pushing them.

I know there are some others on here that research gun law stuff on the innertoobs, I am wondering if anyone else sees this?

[TexasJohnBoy]

When I search "gun laws" in google, I get the NRA ILA along with the result you mention. I believe that Google as a company does lean on the left side of the gun debate, but I also think I'm able to find pro-gun sites and articles using them as a search engine.

As far as them manipulating the order in which results are returned, I think that would constitute "fake search results!"

[Skiprr]

I can't speak to why Google might suddenly be ranking the "Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence" more frequently and/or higher, but if you want a little background on this group, here's a useful article posted at Ammoland: Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence--Twenty Years of Putting Nonsense First, by C.D. Michel, adjunct professor at Chapman University School of Law, and NRA West Coast legal counsel.

[priusron]

You can pay to have your web site be one at the top of the list.

[rbwhatever1]

Google manipulates their search returns to try to shape public opinion and have been for a long time. Many others do it too. Posted articles one might think, or assume are mainstream, leading one to believe his own views are not mainstream are completely destroyed in the comments section. The answer to this problem is no comments section available to read or when you click on the comments they don't load.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-google- ... 1426793553
http://www.sitepronews.com/2015/04/06/h ... onal-gain/
http://dailycaller.com/2016/06/09/video ... o-hillary/

Wearing my tinfoil Stetson...

[bblhd672]

Google sells SEO (search engine optimization) that brings your website to the top of the list based upon the search criteria and location- among other things. That smartgunlaws is appearing high on your searches most likely means they are paying to be in the top spots.
Use the same search words in a different search engine and I bet you won't see them. Try the DuckDuckGo web site to see how the search results are different.

[Medley86]

When I put in hearing protection act into Google the other day, the first result was a la times oped saying all criminals would be running around with suppressors. It also implied that if we are going to deregulate them might as well do hand grenades and land mines too as they were all regulated together initially. If they were regulated together they must be equally bad right?

[flowrie]

Google sells SEO (search engine optimization) that brings your website to the top of the list based upon the search criteria and location- among other things. That smartgunlaws is appearing high on your searches most likely means they are paying to be in the top spots.
Use the same search words in a different search engine and I bet you won't see them. Try the DuckDuckGo web site to see how the search results are different.

I use DuckDuckGo on my iPad and desktop PC when searching for subjects or items of interest to me.
If my search is more mundane, like searching for pizza, then I switch to Google.
Also use Firefox and not IE.

[TexasJohnBoy]

Google sells SEO (search engine optimization) that brings your website to the top of the list based upon the search criteria and location- among other things. That smartgunlaws is appearing high on your searches most likely means they are paying to be in the top spots.
Use the same search words in a different search engine and I bet you won't see them. Try the DuckDuckGo web site to see how the search results are different.

I use DuckDuckGo on my iPad and desktop PC when searching for subjects or items of interest to me.
If my search is more mundane, like searching for pizza, then I switch to Google.
Also use Firefox and not IE.

IE and Edge should die in a fire.

[The Wall]

Try clearing History,Cookies, and Cache.