Results

Google’s loyal users may have noticed a recent change in the results of their queries: the powerhouse search engine now returns videos, music and other media types in addition to the typical website results that they provide. Case in point: when I typed in a search for “Jorge Vistel” an emerging Cuban jazz trumpeter, Google spit back to me not only individual web pages, but also a YouTube video featuring a performance and newspaper articles about Vistel. The video can even be played directly in the search results without leaving Google to visit YouTube! This change in how results are grouped is called “Universal Search,” and it is the heart of Google’s next generation of information processing. It is the integration of multiple types of media into search results, and combines all of the various vertical databases into one index to provide users a single, more relevant set of results. The search results will be blended together, incorporating local sources, news stories, videos and images, and blogs as well as web pages. This tool automatically interweaves the information across categories to provide the user with the best results, no matter the format.

Google is the first of the search engines to implement Universal Search and incorporate diverse media in their rankings, but others have announced plans to follow suit. It’s an acknowledgement that many kinds of data, including video, photos, maps, and news feeds, can be of use to searchers. Universal Search will delight users with the most pertinent information in any form, and SEO companies are scrambling to keep up with the change. This change can work to your advantage, though, as you learn to adapt your website’s content to the new system. Though Universal Search may initially seem to be detrimental to your current SEO efforts, this new technology can actually increase your visibility in search results by providing users with the most appropriate and useful information.

Some categories of Universal Search results that you need to consider in your SEO efforts are:

• Image search: allow your potential customers to find you through carefully tagged, attention-grabbing images that utilize popular keywords. Images always catch the eye more easily than text, so include photos that fish for web traffic.
• News search: Think of Universal Search results as a new forum for your press releases. Keep your content newsworthy and interesting so it will be indexed as news.
• Video search: If you decide to include video in your marketing efforts, maximize your reach on the web by using file names and tags that function as keywords. Create captions, transcriptions, and other commentary that will draw hits. Post your videos on YouTube, Google Video, and other file-sharing sites for greater exposure.
• Map search: My favorite way to find everything from quickie lube joints to new restaurants is Google Maps. List your business with Google’s Local Business Center to increase your presence in your home community and your chances of moving up in the search results when a user searches in your area.
• Blog search: Adding a blog to your site creates continuous new content, and search engines crave new content. Keep your blogs simple and easy to read, but plug in the keywords you want users to find when they conduct a search.

Universal Search is a huge win for the consumer because it makes it a lot easier to find information across multiple information points. This approach can really take off when applied locally within a company. It increases your ability to find information by topic instead of by where it is stored. Internal users no longer have to slog through files on the company intranet or shared network drive, instead using Universal Search principles to quickly and efficiently locate the information they need.

Users will never want to go back to the old search results once Universal Search takes hold. The presentation of this information, and how you implement it, will also help you with your SEO strategies. Whether you’re the one providing the information, or whether you’re the consumer, you want to pay close attention to the maturation of Universal Search.

Friday, October 19th, 2007 Both comments and pings are currently closed.

By Haley January Eckels