A big problem in search may have been solved by the Google: reading text that is actually an image rather than a digital text, including text in pictures, Flash movies, signs in maps, scanned books, etc. TechCrunch reports today that Google has applied for a patent on a method for reading (and indexing) images of text.
This has major implications for the ad world and SEO because there have been many clumsy workarounds for getting these non-text messages indexed including hidden meta-tags which the search algos don’t really like. Imagine that billboard advertisers start using keywords because they know that web map users will see them when they use 3D street views. Or embedding lots of text message ads in videos, knowing they will get indexed.
Everything will be indexed eventually. Big brother is here and guess what? It’s not an evil government, it’s Google.
January 4th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Wow is all I can say. The things Google is starting to do…
I have to give it to them, they are doing a hell of a job. Thanks for sharing this.