Search Engine Marketing News
Key In Cantonese In a Different Way |
3 Aug 2009 |
Google recently launched another application on Google search, enabling the Chinese input dummies to key in Cantonese by pinyin for search. When people forget or do not how to type the Cantonese phrases or slang, they can still reach the desired search results by Cantonese pinyin.
While the application has made the search experience more convenient and interesting, the application is not freed from criticism. Since the uncommon knowledge or the sense of translating Cantonese characters into pinyin is required, not everyone can fully utilize the newly developed function. In terms of search power, the Google Cantonese Suggest works fairly well on searching people's names, places or restaurants, but when it comes to the search of longer phrases like address or lyrics, the variation is too big that the application has difficulties in grasping what is on the users' minds.
It is also difficult to set up a comprehensive database for Cantonese pinyin. People tend to have different pinyin for the same word. For example, a common character "陳" has two different yet equally popular ways of pinyin - "Chan" and "Chen". The difficulties in developing the application in full are not easy to overcome.
This method of searching does not affect the effectiveness of SEO, as the relevancy of web page content is not affected by the Google pinyin database.
Right now the function is launched for Google HK only. Due to cultural difference it is rather difficult to launch the same application to another Cantonese speaking region, Guangzhou. The value of usage of the application on Google elsewhere is yet to be explored.
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