Google’s advanced suggest tool and SEO.
I was hanging about Google making some searches when I got to look for a specific thing involving a “what is” search. Now, everybody knows the game on Google where you use the Google suggest feature to get a good laugh. I however went past the game and found that Google is exploiting this utility more than it has been doing till now.
“What is” v/s “define:”.
As a hardcore Google user I’m used to the tool’s inbuilt utilities such as the “define:” operator to get definitions. This would give these results (the example here is “heavy metal”):
In SEO, one of the first advices we give to clients is to stick to what their target audience usually types in search engines to maximise their visibility. It seems that even Google is now following this advice. With the “what is” game, a new idea must have crept up in the Google engineers’ minds. What if people use more “what is” searches than the “define” operator? This would explain why the automated thesaurus used by Google suggest* is filled with “what is”. This would also mean that the “define” operator is used only by people knowing its existence.
2010, the age of “what is”.
On this basis, Google has made an evolution to the Google suggest feature. If you now type your whole “what is” question, the tool will propose not only the usual “suggest” results but the first available result in its definition list. This would be a full clickable result as below:
I may be wrong but it is the first time that I’m seeing this new option in Google suggest and this is making me wonder about the coming changes on the search engine as well as in search engine results.
The future of search ?
This specific option might itself suggest the future of search engines as Google sees it. The main idea is that the user does not even have to go to the search engine result page (SERP) to get the different proposals or results if the one suggested by Google suggest satisfies him/her. This would mean the fall of organic ranking in SERPS as well as paid inclusion! And what if the visitor is satisfied with the Google suggest answer itself without clicking on it?
In a far-fetched concept, what if Google opens up this suggestion utility to propose the first result of the SERPS on any search keyword and not only in definitions. This would completely change the face of search engine optimisation (SEO) and get people to fight for the first place. This however, will not be the case (at least not now) because it would be a bullet in the foot of Google’s business model based on paid inclusion. But once again… what if?
Let’s talk about this…
There are many changes coming on Google in 2010 and these might change the way we search. Do you think that people will be using search engines differently in the coming months/years? Do you think that SEO and website marketing will be affected by such changes? Will you be changing your way of building sites (if it’s your field) because of this?
*Google suggest is a pondered utility that builds and proposes search suggestions based on the popularity of previous searches. E.g: typing “face” would suggest “facebook” as one of the first proposals.
Category: Business, News, Resource Depot, Resources, Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media
This article makes me think about choosing keywords and keyword phrases. No one would ask: What is a handbag. But a few questions do come up. Never thought about combining questions and tags.