Months ago, Total Social Solutions published this article about the advent of Google’s new ‘Search Plus Your World’ default search platform. This was the first move by a major search engine to incorporate social media into traditional search results.
Google has repeatedly stated the integration of social and search will deliver more relevant search results for users. The prevailing logic has nothing to do with social media, SEO, nor even technology. To get some perspective on this, let’s take a big-picture look.
Since the beginning of mankind, we as a species have relied upon the recommendations of other people. Family members, friends, and thought leaders have been the primary places that we turn to in order to know what to do, where to go, or what purchases to consume. The reason we trust the recommendations of friends or relatives more so than strangers is that we trust people who are close to us.
So, it should not be surprising that Google, Facebook, and other online behemoths are interested in having our online experiences mimic your real, not-online life. Their beliefs are simple: if search results can mimic your cocktail party experience, you’ll be more likely to use their platform.
In the latter portion of the 20th century, Americans enjoyed the expert restaurant reviews of Zagat contributors. Zagat became the ultimate authority, and the one place that a traveler could turn to in order to get information on restaurants (and eventually other businesses) in another city. For years, Zagat enjoyed revenue from consumers of these reviews through sale of their print books and online subscription-based services.
With the growth of Google+ Local, Yelp, and other countless online review sites, the market for paid review results went away permanently. Recognizing a synergy, and as a direct competitive offensive towards Yelp, Google bought Zagat, and its entire database. Google then rolled Zagat into the new Google+ Local. We published this article on the topic after the launch of this new platform which will be a major competitor to Yelp. Google+ Local is already a formidable force due to its high search visibility. It will only grow. The great news for TSS clients is that we support your business’ Google+ Local listing, contact your account coordinator if you have questions on optimizing this listing.
Finally, the rumors have been circulating for some time that Facebook is developing a search tool. The vision of Mr. Zuckerberg and his team is that Facebook can be a place where users can poll their friends and family members about goods, services, and experiences that they are considering buying. Concrete evidence of this Facebook search tool has yet to surface.
What this means for you and your business:
- Social media is the bleeding edge of search.
- In the not-too-distant future, search will be driven by social media.
- Traditional SEO techniques will be largely supported by social media results due to search algorithms shifting to favor social content
Think about that statement… social media is not just the cutting edge, but is ahead of the cutting edge of search. If you want to get ahead of the competition, and stay ahead of the competition, your presence on social media will give you a huge advantage over your competition. The further ahead that you can pull today; the more ground the competition will have to make up in the future.
Your TSS account representative can help you position your brand for success today, and into the future. Contact us for more information, so you stay ahead of the constantly changing competitive market.
