Google Instant, a new search enhancement that shows results as you type, was launched today for users searching while signed into their Google accounts. We review the benefits and potential implications to paid and organic search.
Users have begun noticing that some brands are dominating the search results page with a single domain and Google confirmed a change had been made in its algorithm. We examine the ramifications to brands and searchers.
Search optimization can be a baffling and esoteric subject. Google’s search algorithm is a more closely guarded secret than the recipe for Coca-Cola. But for today, we’re going to break down one of the older and more important search tactics used to rank well in Google – links.
This week, Bing made several updates to their search results as part of a larger attempt to compete with Google’s functionality including enhanced search results, Facebook integration and Wolfram Alpha calculations.
While the upcoming roll-out of Google’s new algorithm, Caffeine, has been referred to as a change that sits “under the hood” of Google, there are certainly some very noticeable differences in SERPs between the current Google and Caffeine.
Forrester recently reported that Search Marketing will far out-pace other forms of interactive marketing in 2009, and is expected to grow by a 15% compound annual rate through 2014.
“We have never been a search company.”
Carol Bartz, Yahoo CEO
If the above statement wasn’t true over the last fifteen years, it certainly is now. Yahoo is now committed to the content and ad game, forgoing search to Microsoft. This probably shouldn’t be as big of news as it was. After all, Yahoo used Inktomi search results to help supplement their directory listings way back in the day. And it was only a few years ago that Yahoo search was powered by Google.
There are countless ways in which search marketing can affect consumer behavior. We’ve illustrated 50 such “moments”, bringing to life many examples and benefits of search marketing to paint a picture of the larger impact it can have.
Yesterday I was speaking with a colleague who was researching lake house properties over the weekend. I asked him how he went about his search, and his answer and ultimate tale surprised me.
The process of website design and information architecture has, traditionally, started at the home page with carefully planned navigation paths and conversion funnels leading users to the desired goal. However, because the majority of internet activity begins with a search, search engine results pages (SERPs) can now be considered your home page.
I am often asked about the future of search. I could bandy about terms like latent semantic indexing or talk about the Wolfram Alpha “computational search engine” that was all the hype a few weeks ago. There’s plenty of fodder for discussion around hyper-local search, the effects of personalization/customization, the short-term effects of Bing on Google, et al.
But for me, it always comes back to kickass content.
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