If our colleagues from 01net deliver all their tips to master Google like a pro, there are also queries that are sometimes best avoided when typing into Google’s search engine. Some results are not always fun to read, beyond the fake news.
Today, it has become almost impossible to surf the net without leaving traces. This information, which bears the sweet name of “cookies”, sometimes harms the overall user experience. Worse, this data can be used against him. It is therefore necessary to know how to remain vigilant as to his online behavior.
1) Don’t look for your favorite series (beware of spoilers!)
How many times have you been disappointed with the aftermath of a spoiler? If you are in the middle of a series and the following episodes have already been released, it is better to avoid searching for information on Google. Indeed, the search engine is full of spoilers of all kinds: the media, social networks or YouTube videos can give you information on the rest of the episodes. The same applies if you are looking for data on an actor in a series.
2) Avoid topics popular with advertisers
The closer we get to summer, the greater the purchase intentions around vacations/travel. Advertisers are great specialists in retargeting (or “re-targeting” in French) and do not hesitate to bombard you with offers on all possible media. You find yourself seeing the same advertisement for this same dream hotel everywhere on the web in order to send you a more or less aggressive message: buy!
(@1to1Biarritz ⭕️)
❌ Customer’s NIGHTMARE ❌
? Popups
? Autoplay
? Pre-roll
? Retargeting
? Clickbait
? …#CX #1to1Biarritz #Marketing
Formats #pub to avoid ?? pic.twitter.com/85NEZg03Pb— Presse-citron (@pressecitron) October 8, 2019
If you don’t want to inflict this ordeal on yourself, you can simply use private browsing to not leave any cookies. If you absolutely don’t want to be tracked anymore, and don’t even want to be tracked by your ISP, you can turn to VPNs. The latter are also very popular for all those who travel abroad: they allow you to bypass geo-blocking on the internet.
Other sectors are fond of aggressive online marketing: fashion, e-commerce or diets.
3) Beware of finance queries
“How to become rich in a few minutes?”, “How does this single mother earn 7,320 euros per month?”… so many misleading messages that attempt to mislead Internet users. As our colleagues from the Journal du Geek, queries around the world of finance are very sensitive. Scams are growing exponentially, including in Google’s sponsored results.
Sometimes, even the most serious sites can be victims of identity theft: all it takes is for a crook to take over the graphic charter of the Societe Generale site to steal your login credentials. Phishing is a real scourge and financial institutions rely on the vigilance of their customers to avoid falling into this trap.
4) Ban medical requests
It has become a “meme” on social networks: Doctissimo tells you that you are going to die. Some health queries are very sensitive: an erroneous message or misunderstood information can have serious consequences. If you have real medical questions, it is better to turn to a doctor for reliable information. On forums or social networks you can read everything and its opposite, so you have to be vigilant.
In the same way, food advice should be banned: most gurus only want to sell guides / recipes that are not very effective.
me: I hit my little toe
doctissimo: YOU WILL DIE— sheep (@sheepjs) August 17, 2017
5) Beware of your private data
Leaving your traces on the internet can harm you in the more or less long term. Whether on a social network, in the Google search engine or by any other form, it is advisable to type as little sensitive information as possible. Do not have fun typing information about your private life (surname, first name, age, sex, address, etc.) on the Google search engine to discover this data that you already know.
