Google Social Search: What You Should Know
January 12, 2012
Have you noticed the way social media influences your Google search results?
If you’re a Google+ member then your Google search results are being influenced by your social circles.
If your connections recommend or +1 a page it’s more likely that it will end up on your radar. Google has plans to increase the influence social media has on search engine results pages.
Even More “Personalized” Results
On Tuesday, January 10th, Google announced that it will be providing even more “personalized” results based on social influence with it’s “Search, Plus Your World” initiative.
Over the next few days Search plus Your World will become available to people who are signed in to Google and are searching on https://www.google.com in English. If you don’t see the new Show Personalized Results button then unfortunately you’re not part of the randomly selected beta group for Google social search.
Google Social Search: “Search +Plus Your World” Tour
Google social search, or Search +Plus Your World takes Social Search a step further by adding 3 new core features:
- Personal Results — Enable you to find information just for you, such as Google+ photos and posts—both your own and those shared specifically with you, that only you will be able to see on your results page;
- Profiles in Search — Both in autocomplete and results, which enable you to immediately find people you’re close to or might be interested in following; and,
- People and Pages — Help you find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable you to follow them with just a few clicks. Because behind most every query is a community.
How Does This Effect You?
If you’ve been skeptical about engaging in social media marketing at your company then you need to question your incentives. Google social search will have a major effect on the way your customers find, discuss and share your products.
It’s a safe bet to assume that Google social search will continue to affect and shape the way search engine rankings are decided.
Our dream is to have technology enable everyone to experience the richness of all their information and people around them. We named our company after the mathematical number googol as an aspiration toward indexing the countless answers on webpages, but that’s only part of the picture. The other part is people, and that’s what Search plus Your World is all about.
It’s vital that your company take an active role in social media. Search and social have officially teamed up, and the quality of your brand is at stake.
Social media is already having a dramatic effect on your brand’s visibility and perception online, and Google social search is the next step. It’s up to you to take an active role in that conversation to preserve the integrity of your product’s brand.
The thing is: this is a done deal. There’s no way back. Search and social have now officially teamed up, so you might as well live with it. It also means that not using Google+ is… Not really an option if you’re a marketer, but I guess we had that one coming for a while as well.
Joost de Valk, Yoast.com
In Conclusion
Google’s Search Plus Your World additions dramatically change the way you, and your customers, find anything and everything online. The importance of a strong social media presence is growing with each day. What is your company doing to prepare for the changes to come in 2012?