What time does the Super Bowl start? When is the Super Bowl? What time is kickoff for the Super Bowl?
Google search algorithm, go do your magic.
In the days and hours leading up to the Super Bowl, there is no shortage of media stories with headlines and ledes spouting a list of keywords about the start time for the Super Bowl. (It’s 6:30 p.m. ET, by the way).
The reason for all those stories is that the Super Bowl is the most-watched television event in the United States, and people are constantly asking Google when the game starts. The Super Bowl is one of the most-Googled terms of the year, the search company said.
In an attempt to take advantage of that mountain of search traffic, websites are trying to optimize their pages for Google’s search algorithm.
Though the algorithm is a closely guarded secret, websites can typically boost their search ranking by precisely matching the key phrases that people are searching for in the URL, headline and text of a story.
Google is “incredibly” aware that websites are trying to game its system, according to Simon Rogers, Google’s lead data editor. The company constantly tweaks its algorithm in an attempt to surface quality content and punish those “Googlebomb” Web pages that produce more keywords than useful information.
Rogers said there isn’t a specific initiative for filtering out poor-quality Super Bowl stories. Instead, he said Google is focused on larger-scale quality control projects, such as last year’s “Amp,” aimed at promoting sites that are optimized for mobile.
Since the Super Bowl is such a big search event for Google, the company analyzed different categories of searches related to the game and posted them on its Google Trends site.
Many of the top searches are directly related to the game, teams and players:
— When was the last time the Panthers won the Super Bowl?
— Where is Levi’s Stadium?
— Does Cam Newton get fined when he gives the ball away?
But there are plenty of searches that are about the halftime show and Super Bowl recipes:
— What genre is Coldplay?
— Buffalo chicken dip
— Who is singing the national anthem?
Google also pulled data on which fans were most confident about their team’s Super Bowl chances during the football season.
For most of the year, Patriots fans in New England had been researching tickets to San Francisco on Super Bowl Sunday the most. But after the Broncos beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, Denver fans took over first place on the list.
Though the Super Bowl is primarily an American phenomenon, it does capture some interest overseas. Following the United States in searches about the Super Bowl are Canada and Mexico (makes sense) and then Denmark and Germany.
The United Kingdom, which hosts multiple NFL games each year, ranked 10th on the list. Maybe the NFL should rethink its international strategy.
