So, does Sarcasm still confuse Google? A recent statement by John Mueller, a Google expert, revealed whether Google comprehends sarcasm or is still a concept that eludes the search engine. The statement also explained if sarcasm is suitable for usage and how Google understands it within a context.
See also: “Confusing The Search Engines Is Not The Role Of SEO,” Says Google
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But First, What Is Sarcasm?
Sarcasm, like its cousin irony, relies on context and delivery to make itself understood. Used to communicate “irony to mock or convey contempt” as per Oxford Dictionary. The concept is to say things that people don’t mean.
And hence, for this reason, Google — the world’s most popular search engine — has had some trouble figuring out when people mean what they say and when they don’t.
The concept falls close to satire, but where satire is a lighter approach to making fun of someone, sarcasm deals more with the negative side of similar jokes.
Google Discover Does Not Cover Sarcasm
Both satire and sarcasm deal with saying things in a roundabout manner. Despite their differences, don’t convey the messages that would otherwise seem apparent from the words. These hence have underlying meanings that are understandable with the help of subtexts, contexts, and hidden meanings.
In Addition to sarcasm eluding Google. Satire also comes under the category that Google doesn’t cover, especially under the Google Discover page. The Google Discover guidelines issued in April 2021 stated that Google Discover would exclude satire. Google, in fact, also noted that satire “might confuse readers.”
Does Sarcasm Still Confuse Google?
The user who came up with the question phrased it as: “Does Sarcasm still Confuse Google Semantically?”
While little was revealed about the question and its underlying context, the sentence asked if Google understood sarcasm. “Is Google better at understanding sarcasm in 2021, or should you still try to avoid it?”
The user, however, followed up with an example, writing: “Some medical name” works for jet lag if your hamster is correct medically because no study has been run on humans. But is there a risk that sarcasm confuses Google semantically?”
John Mueller Verifies That Google Doesn’t Understand Sarcasm
The webspam expert John Mueller took to elaborate his answer and explained if sarcasm is a good choice when writing for Google. The usage is suitable for some websites while not so appropriate for others.
Mueller explained:
“I would say there’s definitely a risk that we misunderstand things like that or that we don’t understand when there is sarcasm on a page.”
Further, he said:
“And especially if it’s something where it’s critical for you to get the right message across to Google and all users, then I would make sure it’s as clear as possible. So maybe in cases where you’re talking about medical information, maybe try to avoid sarcasm.”
Talking about topics where you can use sarcasm, he said, “If you’re writing about … an entertainment topic or something like that, then that’s probably less of an issue. But especially if it’s critical information, then really make sure that it’s as easy as possible to understand.”
At places where topics tend to range over a diverse range of discussions in the same article, like beauty products and deserts. Google gets confused about the relevance of the issues.
Sarcasm can even bring the rankings of a page lower as Google continues to exclude the site from the top search results. One way to counter this is by removing the sarcastic phrases.
See also: Rank Inclusive Language | Can Google Understand It In Search