Google makes major change in search ranking algorithms

Google, under fire for letting some websites manipulate its powerful search engine, has made a major change to the way it ranks results. The change to Google's algorithms, which it employs to help users find what they want when they search the Web, is aimed at helping websites with original content and information, including in-depth reports or "thoughtful" analysis, rank higher.

The change affects about 12% of queries, Google said. Making such a significant change to the search engine in such a public way marks a rare admission of fallibility by Google, which handles about two-thirds of the world's search queries and generates most of its sales from search advertising. Despite the dominance of its search engine, Google has taken hits in recent months for allowing sites to rise in search results that deliver questionable or little value to Web searchers. Vivek Wadhwa, a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley's School of Information, described Google in a blog post as a "tropical paradise for spammers and marketers."