how google+ just plus-sized organic search

HOW GOOGLE+ JUST PLUS-SIZED ORGANIC SEARCH


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In a move that should surprise no one, Google just announced that it will start integrating data from Google+ into its organic search results. The move appears to be the latest attempt from the search giant to increase the popularity and relevance of its social network in an attempt to close the gap between its 100 million members and nearly 900 million of Facebook.



While the effects of this announcement remain to be seen, the move could be the first step in a potential shake up of the entire search market and a glacial direction shift of Google’s core product.

It’s no surprise that social media has completely disrupted the search engine market and its impact is only getting greater. As the web continues to become more real-time, users will expect their search engines to keep up. Twitter is serving up over 19 billion search queries per month, and while Google is still the king of search with around 90 billion searches per month, it certainly can’t ignore the growth of Twitter and the desire for real time information.

Google used to be one of a small handful of companies that had access to the full feed of Twitter data (known as the fire hose) but they chose not to renew that agreement earlier last year. Shutting the hose effectively shut down their real time search capabilities. Last week’s announcement that Google+ data will start filtering its way into search results is the first the industry has seen of Google’s new real time search strategy, and it’s got many excited and scared.

First, it’s worth mentioning that for now, only users that are logged into Google will see these “plus-sized” search results. Google has been offering personalized search results for a while now, but this new integration with Google+ is really pushing things forward. According to Google, the three new features are:

• PERSONAL RESULTS: This includes search results, photos and other content that has been shared by or explicitly to the user from their Google+ network.

• PROFILES IN SEARCH: Will display the Google+ profiles of users in both autocomplete and search results that Google believes the user is closely connected to or interested in following.

• PEOPLE AND PAGES: Will incorporate the Google+ profiles of brands, personalities and organizations that are related to a specific topic or area of interest to the user.



Google is still the king of search with around 90 billion searches per month, it certainly can’t ignore the growth of Twitter and the desire for real time information.

Search Engine Optimization is, without a doubt, the area most affected by these changes. SEO has seen social media creeping onto its turf more and more over the past couple of years, so while this shouldn’t come as a surprise, it is going to make it almost impossible to own the top positions in search results without some sort of social activity supporting it.

So what does this mean for brands? For now, it’s too early to tell for certain. While there are some businesses that have taken advantage of the debut of Google+ brand pages, the excitement has thus far been relatively low. It appears that many of the leading brands have been taking a back seat with Google+ until it reaches

a mass market.This incorporation of Google+ profiles into search results could start a mass adoption of brands creating a presence, especially those that are very concerned with SEO.

For brands whose business relies heavily on organic search traffic and SEO, now is the time to take the plunge into Google+ brand pages and begin to truly incorporate social media into the overall communications mix. As the web continues to shift from the computer screen to the mobile phone, television, tablet, video game console and any other device with an internet connection, the impact that social media and real time data has on search is unavoidable.

While these changes are, for now at least, only applicable to users that are logged in to Google, it would be foolish to think that their overall algorithm will not place a heavier weight than it already does on content shared on Google+, causing a trickle-down effect to all users. Google has been losing the social networking game for quite some time now. The high-profile failures of Buzz, Wave, Knol and Orkut are not forgotten, and the partnership between Bing and Facebook must be keeping many up at night over in Mountain View, CA.



If Google plans to remain the search leader throughout this decade, social and real time search is key to their success. The biggest question that remains is how much can they get away with integrating all of this and running an immensely profitable advertising business before they face the same anti-trust fate that signaled the end of Microsoft’s dominance.

Google’s announcement has not been welcomed with open arms. Twitter was one of the first companies to publicly lash out against Google’s revamped search offering claiming that it’s suppressing Twitter in favor

of it’s own social network. The latest organization to pile on Google is the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which filed a motion with the Federal Trade Commission asking them to investigate if the new search feature is unfairly prioritizing Google+ pages over the competition.

Regardless of the outcome, 2012 appears poised to be the year of real time search and Google knows that this seismic change in search habits is perhaps the biggest competitive challenge its ever faced.

Search Engine Optimization is, without a doubt, the area most affected by these changes. It is going to make it almost impossible to own the top positions in search results without some sort of social activity supporting it.



CONCLUSION

With the massive amounts of data being collected by Facebook and Twitter, coupled with evolving technologies like mobile voice search, the entire foundation Google’s search business was built on is being uprooted. In fact, Google’s Eric Schmidt recently voiced his fears that Apple’s “Siri” technology is a direct threat to their search market. However this all plays out, one thing is for certain – we’re only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the power of social media and search; the playing field is wide open.

CONTACT

Mitzi Emrich Chief Social Media Strategist 646.837.9418 | [email protected]

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