Google AJAX Search API - a huge bug?
Dedicated to the developers of the Google SOAP API ...
For those who do not know what it is - this is an API with which you can make queries to the Google search engine.
The thing, it would seem very useful, because registration of keys to the SOAP Search API was discontinued more than 3 years ago,
and parsing HTML-issuance has a bunch of drawbacks except for one advantage - the identity of the data received by the user, with the identity of the data received by the program.
The output JSON data format, which is much easier to use than SOAP, can also be used client-side on JS or Flash.
I met this API about a year ago, and was very disappointed in it.
Why do you ask? The answer is simple - the results generated through the API are very different from the search engine via the Web.
Although, according to the logic of things, they should be, if not identical, then very close in meaning.
But, seeing that they were not in production at the moment, I sincerely hoped that by the time I exit Labs the problems would be resolved.
So, the AJAX Search API went into production, the SOAP Search API will be closed on August 31, because according to Google is not needed.
I decided to check how things were, and compared the current search engine results, SOAP API and AJAX API.
The object of comparison is the number of pages found for a search query, keywords were not specifically selected.
Too lazy to look - the results are very different, which reduces the value of the Google AJAX Search API to zero.
Further test results:
With this post I want to attract the attention of developers - please make sure that the results of your product do not show the weather in Africa, but at least the results of the SOAP Search API.
And for myself, I
concluded: If you need the identity of the results in your projects, in no case use the Google AJAX Search API.
For those who do not know what it is - this is an API with which you can make queries to the Google search engine.
The thing, it would seem very useful, because registration of keys to the SOAP Search API was discontinued more than 3 years ago,
and parsing HTML-issuance has a bunch of drawbacks except for one advantage - the identity of the data received by the user, with the identity of the data received by the program.
The output JSON data format, which is much easier to use than SOAP, can also be used client-side on JS or Flash.
I met this API about a year ago, and was very disappointed in it.
Why do you ask? The answer is simple - the results generated through the API are very different from the search engine via the Web.
Although, according to the logic of things, they should be, if not identical, then very close in meaning.
But, seeing that they were not in production at the moment, I sincerely hoped that by the time I exit Labs the problems would be resolved.
So, the AJAX Search API went into production, the SOAP Search API will be closed on August 31, because according to Google is not needed.
I decided to check how things were, and compared the current search engine results, SOAP API and AJAX API.
The object of comparison is the number of pages found for a search query, keywords were not specifically selected.
Too lazy to look - the results are very different, which reduces the value of the Google AJAX Search API to zero.
Further test results:
Simple request
Number of Results | Difference (%) | ||||
Inquiry | Web | SOAP | Ajax | SOAP | Ajax |
concrete | 80 300 000 | 79 800 000 | 14 100 000 | 0.62 | 82,44 |
block retaining wall | 1,140,000 | 1,170,000 | 1,090,000 | -2.63 | 4.39 |
block walls | 15,700,000 | 15.6 million | 4,830,000 | 0.64 | 69.24 |
brick patio | 1,030,000 | 1,040,000 | 814,000 | -0.97 | 20.97 |
build retaining wall | 473,000 | 468,000 | 173,000 | 1.06 | 63,42 |
building material | 132,000,000 | 137,000,000 | 114,000,000 | -3.79 | 13.64 |
building materials | 73 100 000 | 74 900 000 | 59,400,000 | -2.46 | 18.74 |
carolinas concrete masonry association | 63,600 | 62,700 | 49,200 | 1.42 | 22.64 |
ccma | 327,000 | 324,000 | 113,000 | 0.92 | 65,44 |
cement block | 6 650 000 | 6 620 000 | 4,740,000 | 0.45 | 28.72 |
cement blocks | 16,200,000 | 16.3 million | 15,200,000 | -0.62 | 6.17 |
concrete block | 4 070 000 | 4 070 000 | 2,350,000 | 0.00 | 42.26 |
concrete block homes | 4 130 000 | 4,200,000 | 2,570,000 | -1.69 | 37.77 |
concrete block houses | 2 210 000 | 2 210 000 | 1,400,000 | 0.00 | 36.65 |
concrete building | 159 million | 18 600 000 | 17,600,000 | 88.30 | 88.93 |
concrete company | 16.6 million | 17,600,000 | 16,400,000 | -6.02 | 1.20 |
concrete construction | 16.8 million | 16 500 000 | 15 300 000 | 1.79 | 8.93 |
concrete contractor | 4 800 000 | 4,760,000 | 2,250,000 | 0.83 | 53.13 |
concrete contractors | 4,990,000 | 4 870 000 | 2,400,000 | 2.40 | 51.90 |
concrete countertop | 4,530,000 | 772,000 | 495,000 | 82.96 | 89.07 |
concrete flooring | 17,300,000 | 17,400,000 | 15,400,000 | -0.58 | 10.98 |
concrete home | 52,200,000 | 52 800 000 | 15,400,000 | -1.15 | 70.50 |
concrete homes | 43,200,000 | 44,000,000 | 19,400,000 | -1.85 | 55.09 |
concrete masonry unit | 1,180,000 | 1,110,000 | 1,080,000 | 5.93 | 8.47 |
concrete mixer | 2 120 000 | 2 100 000 | 961,000 | 0.94 | 54.67 |
concrete overlay | 311,000 | 308,000 | 194,000 | 0.96 | 37.62 |
concrete pavers | 577,000 | 578,000 | 359,000 | -0.17 | 37.78 |
concrete products | 16.8 million | 17,600,000 | 15 500 000 | -4.76 | 7.74 |
concrete retaining wall | 386,000 | 893,000 | 325,000 | -131.35 | 15,80 |
concrete sealer | 332,000 | 331,000 | 206,000 | 0.30 | 37.95 |
concrete steps | 2 640 000 | 18 300 000 | 2 110 000 | -593.18 | 20.08 |
concrete work | 20 100 000 | 19 900 000 | 19,200,000 | 1.00 | 4.48 |
construction masonry | 1,370,000 | 1,410,000 | 1,270,000 | -2.92 | 7.30 |
green building materials | 120 million | 123,000,000 | 119,000,000 | -2.50 | 0.83 |
landscape pavers | 936,000 | 927,000 | 164,000 | 0.96 | 82,48 |
landscaping rock | 1,190,000 | 6 520 000 | 1,140,000 | -447.90 | 4.20 |
masonry | 13.3 million | 13,200,000 | 2 460 000 | 0.75 | 81.50 |
masonry block | 524,000 | 2,780,000 | 448,000 | -430.53 | 14.50 |
masonry contractors | 1,620,000 | 1,640,000 | 1 010 000 | -1.23 | 37.65 |
pavers | 3,000,000 | 2 960 000 | 615,000 | 1.33 | 79.50 |
paving | 14,200,000 | 14,200,000 | 2,490,000 | 0.00 | 82.46 |
paving stone | 1,460,000 | 1,470,000 | 1,060,000 | -0.68 | 27.40 |
paving stones | 1,540,000 | 1,540,000 | 219,000 | 0.00 | 85.78 |
precast concrete | 1,130,000 | 1,120,000 | 351,000 | 0.88 | 68.94 |
retaining wall | 2,260,000 | 2,270,000 | 1,040,000 | -0.44 | 53.98 |
retaining wall blocks | 3,480,000 | 1,180,000 | 1,100,000 | 66.09 | 68.39 |
Exact match request
Number of Results | Difference (%) | ||||
Inquiry | Web | SOAP | Ajax | SOAP | Ajax |
'concrete' | 80 500 000 | 79 800 000 | 14,200,000 | 0.87 | 82.36 |
'block retaining wall' | 33,200 | 33 100 | 6 950 | 0.30 | 79.07 |
'block walls' | 227,000 | 224,000 | 59,700 | 1.32 | 73.70 |
'brick patio' | 246,000 | 244,000 | 43,900 | 0.81 | 82.15 |
'build retaining wall' | 17 100 | 13 500 | 1 990 | 21.05 | 88.36 |
'building material' | 3 470 000 | 3,480,000 | 638,000 | -0.29 | 81.61 |
'building materials' | 17,400,000 | 17 500 000 | 3,890,000 | -0.57 | 77.64 |
'carolinas concrete masonry association' | 2 600 | 2,580 | 327 | 0.77 | 87.42 |
'ccma' | 326,000 | 324,000 | 113,000 | 0.61 | 65.34 |
'cement block' | 224,000 | 221,000 | 49,800 | 1.34 | 77.77 |
'cement blocks' | 169,000 | 167,000 | 40 300 | 1.18 | 76.15 |
'concrete block' | 2 040 000 | 2 030 000 | 351,000 | 0.49 | 82.79 |
'concrete block homes' | 5,320 | 5,280 | 1 210 | 0.75 | 77.26 |
'concrete block houses' | 6,080 | 5,930 | 1,510 | 2.47 | 75.16 |
'concrete building' | 770,000 | 354,000 | 84,700 | 54.03 | 89.00 |
'concrete company' | 176,000 | 177,000 | 32,200 | -0.57 | 81.70 |
'concrete construction' | 1,560,000 | 1,520,000 | 229,000 | 2,56 | 85.32 |
'concrete contractor' | 383,000 | 383,000 | 59,500 | 0.00 | 84.46 |
'concrete contractors' | 2 630 000 | 2 620 000 | 374,000 | 0.38 | 85.78 |
'concrete countertop' | 50,600 | 50 500 | 13,600 | 0.20 | 73.12 |
'concrete flooring' | 402,000 | 401,000 | 72,600 | 0.25 | 81.94 |
'concrete home' | 124,000 | 124,000 | 24,700 | 0.00 | 80.08 |
'concrete homes' | 74 900 | 75,500 | 18,700 | -0.80 | 75.03 |
'concrete masonry unit' | 31,500 | 31,000 | 7 390 | 1,59 | 76.54 |
'concrete mixer' | 1,290,000 | 1,280,000 | 481,000 | 0.78 | 62.71 |
'concrete overlay' | 96,400 | 95 900 | 20,700 | 0.52 | 78.53 |
'concrete pavers' | 214,000 | 214,000 | 53,400 | 0.00 | 75.05 |
'concrete products' | 1 820 000 | 1 830 000 | 299,000 | -0.55 | 83.57 |
'concrete retaining wall' | 65,800 | 65,500 | 13,200 | 0.46 | 79.94 |
'concrete sealer' | 90 300 | 90 400 | 20,200 | -0.11 | 77.63 |
'concrete steps' | 607,000 | 603,000 | 159,000 | 0.66 | 73.81 |
'concrete work' | 758,000 | 754,000 | 127,000 | 0.53 | 83.25 |
'construction masonry' | 145,000 | 111,000 | 13,000 | 23.45 | 91.03 |
'green building materials' | 114,000 | 114,000 | 35 300 | 0.00 | 69.04 |
'landscape pavers' | 14,200 | 14 100 | 3 140 | 0.70 | 77.89 |
'landscaping rock' | 41,300 | 41,100 | 6,060 | 0.48 | 85.33 |
'masonry' | 13.3 million | 13,200,000 | 2 460 000 | 0.75 | 81.50 |
'masonry block' | 74 100 | 73 900 | 16 300 | 0.27 | 78.00 |
'masonry contractors' | 601,000 | 602,000 | 70,800 | -0.17 | 88.22 |
'pavers' | 2 990 000 | 2 980 000 | 617,000 | 0.33 | 79.36 |
'paving' | 14,200,000 | 14,200,000 | 2,480,000 | 0.00 | 82.54 |
'paving stone' | 700,000 | 442,000 | 76 900 | 36.86 | 89.01 |
'paving stones' | 1 010 000 | 1,020,000 | 110,000 | -0.99 | 89.11 |
'precast concrete' | 992,000 | 990,000 | 228,000 | 0.20 | 77.02 |
'retaining wall' | 1,600,000 | 1,610,000 | 398,000 | -0.63 | 75.13 |
'retaining wall blocks' | 20,600 | 20,600 | 5 110 | 0.00 | 75.19 |
With this post I want to attract the attention of developers - please make sure that the results of your product do not show the weather in Africa, but at least the results of the SOAP Search API.
And for myself, I
concluded: If you need the identity of the results in your projects, in no case use the Google AJAX Search API.