Every year since 1977, the president of the Specialty Tools and Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA) receives a Every day over 8.5 billion Google searches occur. That’s one search for every person on the planet. Where did I get those numbers? Google, of course. To me it’s surprising the number of queries isn’t higher based on my propensity for Googling. Over the years it’s become a reflexive response whenever I don’t know an answer. Today I made eleven searches on my laptop (outside the dozens for this article) and four on my mobile. One was “How much caffeine is in a chocolate bar?” While the search proved inconclusive, the chocolate bar was delicious.
What kinds of questions can Google answer?
In addition to providing caffeine counts, Google has become the go-to source for nearly every question we face. According to searchenginejournal.com (which I didn’t even know was a thing until a Google search uncovered it) the following are some of the top search terms for 2021:
- NBA;
- DMX;
- Gabby Petito;
- Brian Laundrie;
- Mega millions;
- AMC stock; and
- Stimulus check.
Statista.com claims the most consistently Googled question is “What to watch” with 7.5 million queries per month. Popular shows, sports stats, and the lottery numbers are wonderful sources of questions for a search engine. And in usually less than .42 seconds you’ll have at least four million results to sift through.
What are questions we shouldn’t trust to Google?
The short answer is any question where the answer really matters. Whether the subject is personal in nature or business related if the stakes are high, Google probably isn’t your best option. Since the first search in 1996 (or it might have been in 1998 depending on which search result you trust) I believe Google has become the largest management consultancy in the world. Millions of businesspeople seek its advice on daily basis. Whether folks are interested in finding a job or starting a business their journey often starts with a Google search.
It’s great to use Google to get the ball rolling, but it’s just not enough. When you type in a question that matters the search usually results in creating more questions than providing real answers. Often the articles it does fetch are just opinion disguised as fact (don’t worry this article is purely opinion, and it’s not disguised as anything). If you want to know if a new hairstyle is right for you, or if your latest business idea has a chance of succeeding, or whether switching suppliers is the right call for your company then you need more than a search engine.What do I do if Google can't answer my question?
I do think this is a question that matters. To illustrate Google’s shortcomings on answers that count, here is Google’s top response to “What do I do if Google can’t answer my question?”
Make sure your device recognized the question correctly. Ask your (Google) Assistant the question again. Say "Hey Google, repeat the question" to make sure your Assistant understood you correctly. If it's still not recognizing the question, try to speak slower or try another question. https://support.google.com › googlenest › answer
You may get a different response than I did based on your search history, location, buying patterns, favorite color and other factors Google bakes into their algorithm. It’s clear in my case that Google really didn’t understand my question and taking its advice to repeat the question or to speak slower isn’t going to provide me with the right answer.
“It’s great to use Google to get the ball rolling, but it’s just not enough. When you type in a question that matters the search usually results in creating more questions than providing real answers.”
If Google isn’t the place to seek answers that matter, where do we go? It depends. Sorry for the consultant’s answer, but it’s true.
There’s not a single source for the right solution to a complex or important question. Instead, the best answers are generally found through a variety of sources. Personal friends, co-workers, suppliers, customers, business professionals such as accountants or lawyers, your boss, or your team are all great resources to utilize.
While these sources may not return four million results in less than a second, they’re often close by and easy to ask for help.
One group missing from the list above is your peers. People who share similar responsibilities for companies like yours. A network of peers is a fantastic source of ideas and feedback for exploring challenges or opportunities. They’ve lived in your shoes and share the same daily struggles you do. The work of building out this group starts with locating your counterparts. Trade association conventions such as ASA’s NETWORK, industry conferences and continuing education programs are all places to find your people. You’ll discover these peers are able to provide you something far more special than Google’s algorithms can.
Marshall Jones is a founding partner of Connected Peers Organization and an ASA CONNECT Virtual Peer Networking Community moderator. Connected Peers brings together key employees in Distribution’s leading companies to solve common challenges through online facilitated experience sharing. ASA CONNECT offers a solution that provides professionals in vital job functions an ability to meet online in monthly peer-to-peer facilitated sessions. You can contact Marshall at marshall@connectedpeers.com and find out more about their work at www.connectedpeers.com.
