Posted by: admin on January 25, 2012
Google Attempts to Rule the Internet
Search-engines are a service provided to users based on the concept that the results will supply consumers with the most relevant and unbiased information. Google’s integrity as a search-engine has been called into question since the recent launch of their new innovation called, “Search Plus your World.”
In this new development, Google has combined both personalized signals (information gathered from your previous web history) as well as social signals (information gathered from your social network) to generate the list of search results. This new type of social search has drastically influenced the future use of search engines.
Using personalization to determine search results isn’t a new thing. In fact, Google has been using these techniques since 2005. In December of 2009 (Caffeine Updates), Google made personalization the default setting, and started gathering the user’s history from the past 180 days to boost pages that were specifically targeted towards that individual.
Even though Google has previously used techniques to personalize search results to the user, the ability to implement organic SEO tips & techniques ensured an even playing field (or at least the opportunity for one) for all brands. With “Search Plus,” however, there is a blatant favoritism given to Google itself when it comes to search results.
The Controversial Marriage of “Search Plus” and SEO
The controversy regarding this new algorithm stems from the issue that Google+ is given preferential treatment over other social networking sites. Even when sites like Facebook or Twitter are more relevant to a given web inquiry, Google+ will always be displayed above. In addition, if a brand is not on Google+, it is impossible for them to be number one in the results regardless of their followers, activity or engagement in social networking.
Users can choose to disable this feature and revert back to the “old” method. There are also applications you can download, like the “don’t be evil” tool which uses Google’s own information to even out the distribution of content without partiality. However, since not all people will implement either of the options to disable this new feature, it is important for companies to think of ways to use this new system to their advantage.
Google+ for Brand Pages
There is an enormous incentive for businesses to create and maintain a Google+ brand page. To be a leader of the SERP (Search Engines Results Page), companies will need to place their Google+ brand page into as many significant circles as possible. The trick, however, is to ensure that content is relevant, well liked, and shared by influencers.
There are many new SEO strategies that will help companies preserve their superior SERP under the new evolution of Google. Keywords, for instance, must continue to be purposefully and naturally integrated into the Google+ website, just like any other social network. When your company uses guest bloggers, make sure that they provide the link back to your Google+ page (linked to your homepage) in order to receive the credit. Lastly, file names and alt tags of pictures should always include keywords that will help position your website higher in terms of the social graph. These are just some of the ways that companies can utilize this new system to their advantage. Only time will tell if there will be other strategies.
As we learn more about “Search Plus,” it will be interesting to see how rapidly and profoundly the world of SEO is affected. How do you foresee innovative strategists using this to their advantage? Leave us a comment below.
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Can’t keep up with the rapidly morphing world of search engine optimization? Contact LGD Communications at (305) 576-9400 for a free consultation and see how we can help your brand stand out above the rest in the social media jungle.