Google Becoming More Human-Like – Are You Really Surprised?

June 30, 2010 – With the launch of a revamped indexing algorithm, called “Caffeine” in June, Google’s indexer may be able to not just read, but understand some JavaScript.

Forbes.com ponders this observation in their article, “Google Isn’t Just Reading Your Links, It’s Now Running Your Code”. Curiosity around whether the Googlebot actually understood what it was looking at has been going on for years. However, a recent comment by a Google spokesperson leads search professionals to think Google has indeed gone beyond mere “parsing” of JavaScript and is now capable of  understanding some JavaScript.

If indeed this has happened and Googlebots are able to interact with applications like a human would, it is quite an accomplishment. However, is anyone really surprised?

Melody K. Smith

Sponsored by Data Harmony, a unit of Access Innovations, the world leader in indexing and making content findable.