Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Like this article? We recommend
Videos
Videos are fast becoming one of the most popular ways to consume content on the Internet. Comscore in July released data stating that three out of four Internet users have streamed video in the past year. What isn't surprising is that Google's properties, which now include YouTube, lead the way with over 21 percent of the market share. That share, as well as the stream statistics, are only likely to increase now that Google is embedding videos right into their search results.
The question now becomes, will Google allow other video-sharing sites' videos to appear the way Google's videos and YouTube videos are now appearing? That has yet to be answered. As of right now, I haven't found any evidence that it has happened, but that doesn't mean it won't. What Google is showing now, rather than allowing the other sites' videos to play, is a small thumbnail view of the videos it finds on sites such as MySpace.
So if you want to get the most out of your videos and Universal Search (and if there are no licensing technicalities), it could benefit your online marketing efforts to upload your videos to YouTube or Google Video.
Images
Over the past few years, images have become the fastest growing vertical search. Now that Google has decided to really push forward with Universal Search, images will play an even larger role.
Prior to the implementation of Universal Search, a searcher might on occasion see images appear at the top of the search results. Generally this happened for searches that involved keywords of actors' and other well-known people's names, or that included phrases such as pics, pictures, or photos.
Currently, images are popping up more and more in these types of searches. The images aren't just appearing at the top of the results, either; sometimes the images are at the bottom, or included with the OneBox news area. See Figure 3.
)
Figure 3 Search: "Shakira"
The point is that images are becoming more relevant to search results, which means these pieces of content should also be optimized. Don't just name your images photo1.jpg or office.jpg; give them descriptive, recognizable names. Use descriptive ALT values in the image tag when you set up the web pages, and make sure the text around the picture describes the picture.
Lastly, make sure your images folder isn't being blocked from the spiders crawling it, by the robots.txt file.
Blogs
Did you know that Google has its own blog search? Right now blog posts do come up in Google's "regular" search area, but you shouldn't be surprised in the least if Google decides to make a OneBox out of blog search results just as it does with news.
Blogs are significant places chock full of relevant content for whatever the post is about. With feed readers and subscriptions, blogs are fast becoming a news source all on their own, and very pertinent to the areas they discuss. Google is taking this area of search quite seriously, especially with the company's recent acquisition of Feedburner.
Does your company have a blog? If so, is it optimized? Do you offer subscriptions via RSS feeds? Do you know whether Google has even found your blog yet? It probably won't be long until you start seeing a new way of integrating blogs into Google's search results, so now is the time to make sure your blog is ready for Google's Universal Search.
Ratings and Reviews
Ever typed a movie name into Google's search results and have it come back with the OneBox that has the movie reel and asks for your zip code? You might not have noticed the rating stars that now are appearing within that OneBox, but take a look—they're there.
Just as with blogs, it won't be surprising if Google starts incorporating ratings and reviews on products and services. Adding ratings and reviews to your retail site is a terrific way to generate more content that is totally focused around the specific product or service. It's another way to prepare your site and content for Universal Search.
Maps and Directions
With the integration of Universal Search, if a searcher is looking for a specific business name in a specific locale, it's more likely that the first result presented in the search on Google will be a map (from Google Maps), and a link for directions, an address, and more information (see Figure 4). So if a searcher is looking on Google for a pizza place on Main Street in Anywhereville, and your place isn't listed but your competitor's is, guess who the searcher is going to know about? That's right—not being listed with Google's free Local Business service could actually affect your offline business.
)
Figure 4 Search: "Holiday Inn Pottstown"
This situation just goes to show that companies of all sizes, shapes, and locations are affected by Google, offline just as much as online. Gone are the days when a business owner can say "I don't need the Internet." They might not need a website, but they should realize that they just might need Google to help drive more business their way.