Yesterday Google Announced its search deal with Twitter that will include tweets in search results.
Google incorporating real-time search of course is not at all shocking. Twitter already secured a search deal with Bing (Facebook was in that deal too), and the impact of up-to-the-minute search results is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, the Twitter search function alone foreshadowed a deal, don’t you think?
Google announced at its Searchology event yesterday new search options that can significantly impact your search result and traffic.
Users can now easily refine their search by choosing a search result category such as reviews, videos and forums. In addition, searchers can also toggle between displaying images from result page to displaying more text, or choose to view the most recent content indexed within the last 24 hours.
So what does this mean? Ideally, it means that any searcher will find what they need with less work. Of course Google can’t read minds (yet), but with different – and more – search result potential, SEO is important as ever.
1. Optimize your digital assets.
If universal search is not enough of a reason to optimize digital assets such as images and video, now is the time. The search result competition is looking a lot differently on the page, providing easier entry points for user-generated content and social media.
2. Keep content fresh.
Granted this is a no-brainer for any SEO. But with time now as a segmentation factor (hello? Twitter search?), it plays a bigger role.
3. Manage your online reputation.
That means getting a good grasp of reviews and news items getting thrown around about you and your company, and respond and mange it positively. It was much easier to push down negative results in a “flatter” result, however the new features can dig up some old news you would rather have left alone.
4. Changing search content consumption.
This is not necessarily new since Google News is already in play. But segmenting by time frame will get you the latest scores, news, comments, you name it.
5. More Adwords opportunities.
Yep, you got it girls and boys. More search options means searchers spending more time on Google, which means more clicks for Google and as a result more ad opportunities. I’m just sayin’.
6. Yank that long tail.
I haven’t gone into describing the new Wonder Wheel feature, but the idea is to visually generate deeper search results by providing “wheels” with keyword “spokes” that may bring the searcher deeper results than just the main query. So not only are videos, images, fresher content and reviews getting higher on the search result, but those long tail keywords too.
So what’s next? I’m still waiting to see how deeper personalization, Google profiles and FriendConnect start impacting search result. Imagine seeing whay my FriendConnect “recommends” directly when conducting a search. It’s almost like reading minds. Almost.
There is an all-star line up happening at IM Spring Break in April, and rarely can you mingle with Internet marketers of this caliber in such an intimate setting. I can only expect incredible sessions and speakers packed into 3 days of sharing and learning information on SEO, paid search marketing, affiliate marketing and social media marketing. And if that’s not enough to entice you, here are 7 more reasons why savvy marketers should attend:
1) Chris Winfield, who I faithfully follow on Twitter, is a social media dynamo who will be kicking off the program.
2) Beloved Rae Hoffman (SugarRae) will be hosting an NDA keynote session. If the specific content can’t be disclosed, it’s got to be juicy, right?
3) Unlike the bigger conferences throughout the year, networking at these smaller events is much easier and extremely valuable.
4) Because this is an extremely focused event, the conversations and give and take between attendees and speakers are as informative as the sessions themselves.
5) Steve Plunkett – who is presenting on Information Architecture – is an experienced search engine whiz. I also have a hunch that he’s a great dancer.
6) Also presenting is Kenny Hyder, who embodies a unique combination of SEO and fashion sense. Anyone who even remotely cares about style should attend his session on Creating Content for Social Media.
7) Loren Baker from Search Engine Journal will be moderating Day 2. Haven’t you always wanted to meet Loren Baker?
OK, I’m busted, this is part of a contest the IM Spring Break is promoting to see who can get the most pingbacks. The contest is easy: write a post, link back to IM Spring Break, tag as many people as you can (contact people interested in going to the event or simply friends) to create their own list of 7 things, and have them link back to your post. The person with the most pingbacks wins.
Please help me win. I live in Maine. We have lots of snow. And believe me, I need a break.
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