SEO Review

What is Universal Search and Why Should You Care?

Universal Search combines all the information within its Vertical engines/databases into one index to serve a single set of SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

An example of Vertical engines/databases are Google News, Google Video, Google Images etc.

What this means is when you go to www.google.com, (their most highly trafficked domain) and do a search, rather than just getting websites from their main index, you will also get results from the News, Images, Video, etc databases as well. It is a more comprehensive results page.

Google Vice President of Search Products and User Experience Marissa Mayer said the company’s goal for universal search is to create “a seamless, integrated experience to get users the best answers.”

Sometimes the information you are looking for is best delivered by video, or images or a news story. Currently, you would have to search each of the Vertical engines/databases to get all the information. Google is planning to integrate it into one search engine.

As a searcher this means easier access to various forms of information with only one search. It seems like a good thing, as long as the results are easily organized on the page. It could mean more scrolling to get to the different areas of results, depending how they lay it out.

What To Do and Why

Changes with the search engines can sometimes be confusing. There is a lot of information to evaluate and some decisions to be made. Before you decide anything, you need to understand what your options are.

If your site isn’t already properly optimized for organic rankings, that would be the place to start. You want to make sure you have clean, search engine friendly code and a solid foundation, as well as on-page optimization. This would be the starting point, without this in place you have no hope of competing in the engines – with or without Universal Search.

If your site is already properly and aggressively optimized, then you are in good shape to build on that and benefit from Universal Search.

Since Universal Search will take information from the Verticals (like images, press releases, videos, audios, Blog postings, etc) you want to make sure that you have some exposure in each of those areas.

Imagine someone does a search for what you have to offer, and in the Universal Search results your webpage comes up. In the same search your competitor’s site comes up PLUS your competitor has video, images and Blog posts as well. A searcher is more likely to click on your competitor’s site since more of the total number of results that come up will belong to your competitor.

The other factor is the layout of the results page. We don’t know yet how it will play out. If Google mixes all the results together (ex: videos, web pages, Blog posts, images, etc all come up intermingled) that creates one scenario. It means you aren’t competing apples to apples for the top spot. It could be video in the 1st position and you are hoping to get your web pages ranked in the 1st position.

Another way of delivering the results would be to group them by category. They could líst all the Blog results, then all the video results under that, and then all the image results under that, etc.

If that is the case, you want to have something listed in each category section because if you happen to have a ranking in the last category section but nothing higher on the page, you are not likely to get a click.

What you really need to do in addition to adding content and optimizing your site, is also focus on getting something in the other Verticals.

Top 5 Ways To Participate in Universal Search

1. Google Image Search: It has always been a good idea to use images on your site for illustrating your products and services. Now customers can find your site via Google Image Search. Optimize your images with descriptive, keyword-rich file names and ALT tags. Use accurate descriptions of your image files for the benefit of those who might need to view the site in text only format.

2. Google Video (beta): Use descriptive, keyword-rich file names for your video files. Also create a keyword-rich title tag, description tag, and video site map.

3. Google News: Submit your press releases for display as news, and also as a new content page on your site.

4. Google Maps: AKA Google Local – this has been included in Google search results for a while. Give your site a local presence through the Google Maps Local Business Center where local businesses can get a free basic listing to extend their reach in the SERPs.

5. Google Blog Search (beta): Use social media and Blog engines to drive traffic to the site. Submit to the Google Blog search and have your Blog help boost you in the new world of Universal Search.

With a better understanding of the options, it becomes clear that in order to boost your exposure in the search engines and get new traffic you need to be proactive in anticipation of these Universal Search changes. Don’t wait until it is too late and you are scrambling to catch up.

About The Author
Jennifer Horowitz is the Director of Marketing and co-owner of EcomBuffet.com . Since 1998, her expertise in online marketíng and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has helped clients improve revenue and achieve their business goals. Jennifer has written a downloadable book on Search Engine Optimization and has been published in many SEO and marketing publications. Jennifer can be reached at Jennifer@ecombuffet.com.

The way Google handles search is changing. You may not have heard of universal search yet, but it is going to affect the way your website and your company show up in search engine results, at least for Google. You may have noticed that pictures, videos and even press releases are showing up alongside websites in regular search engine results.

5 Ways to Prepare Your Website for Universal Search

You need to develop a strategy to meet these changing search conditions, and that means optimizing more than just your website landing page. Images, videos and articles are all parts of your site that could be working harder for your company. Here are five tips to help universal search work for you.

Stop the Presses

Make sure your press releases and company news are getting into Google News and Yahoo News. If you’re not doing press releases, you should seriously consider it. Press releases will give you one more chance of showing up in the search engine results beyond your web page. Press releases also give people looking for information about your company the chance to see you in the best light. If you play your cards right, you might get some publicity out of the deal as well.

This is the perfect chance to one-up the competition and highlight your company as an industry leader. Even if you think you have no news, you can comment on industry trends or recent studies relating to your business. The more you get your name out there, the more results you will ultimately see.

Don’t Overlook Images

Images are already starting to show up in search results based on text around them and the description text in the HTML image tags. It’s not difficult to get images onto your site. You can include pictures of past projects, process illustrations, graphs and charts related to your business or industry. A little creativity in this aspect of your website can pay off with your images showing up in Google search results.

Once you have the images in place on your website, make sure the search engines can find them. Pay attention to your image ALT tags, captions and surrounding text so your images show up. Always be sure to have keyword-rich descriptions with your images and use descriptive names for your files as well.

Capitalize on Video Content

Presentations, training videos, interviews and commercials could all be working harder for your company. Don’t let these just sit on the server when they could be showing up in search engine results and providing even more results for your site.
Consider creating a multimedia page where customers can view these and where search engine spiders can locate them. Again, be sure to have keyword-rich titles and descriptions so search engine spiders will know what they are seeing. You might also consider distributing your videos to YouTube for extra exposure and another chance to show up in the search engine results.

Make Sure Search Engines Can Get to Your Content

Do you know if your site is easily accessible by search engine spiders? Flash-heavy sites, improper redirects and broken links can thwart your best SEO efforts. Remember, search engine spiders see your website differently than a normal user. They are looking for content and links, and it is in your best interest to be sure they can navigate your site with ease.
Above all, spiders need clear text links. Uploading a new page to your web server, while personally gratifying, may as well be invisible if you do not provide links from your main site. If you don’t lay down a clear link path throughout your site, search engines may nevër find your content. Site maps are an essential tool for making your content search-engine friendly. Make sure yours is updated regularly and submitted to Google with the proper formatting.

Don’t Ruin Your Hard Work
While it’s important to prepare for the future, don’t overlook the basics. Keyword-rich text and title still matter for your web pages. Quality links to your site are still essential SEO components. Just because you’ve discovered new Internet toys doesn’t mean that you should turn away from the tried-and-true methods. Use both for maximum results.
By taking the time to ensure every aspect of your website is ready for universal search, you maximize your chances of getting your name in front of potential clients and customers. Follow these tips and jump to the front of the search engine multimedia race.

About The Author

President and founder of Xeal Inc., Tony D. Baker is Oklahoma’s leading Internet marketing expert with over 10 years of Internet marketing experience. You can catch Tony on the Xeal Radio Show on Sunday nights on 1170 KFAQ Tulsa or visit www.Xeal.com to sign up for a free websíte analysis on Xeal’s Weekly Webinar.

What is Universal Search?

Universal Search is rapidly becoming the next big step in search engine evolution. Universal Search is the integration of multiple kinds of media into search results. Search engine monster Google was the first to release universal search. Google’s users recently may have noticed images, YouTube videos, and other forms of media showing up in the standard results page. The other major search engines have all either recently rolled out their own versions of Universal Search or have announced plans to do so. Such a significant change in the operation of every major search engine warrants close attention from SEO companies.

This is not the first time Google has introduced multiple kinds of results on the same search page. For instance, Google has long put pay-per-click advertisements, local results, and book search results at the top of the main search page. It is also not the first time the company has offered searches in multiple kinds of media- Google Image Search is an age-old feature of the search engine giant. However, it is the first time a search engine has been able to put multiple content types within the same ranking system. For instance, under the new universal search system the number one result for a query could be a web page, a news article, a video, or even an adobe PDF document.

What are the aims of Universal Search?

Universal Search is a step towards comprehensive search. Google and the other engines realize that there is information available in more than text on the web. Pictures, videos, and virtually any kind of media can be of use to a searcher. Google has had the tools to search many of these kinds of media, but these search tools have been separated into different tabs and sections of their website. Universal Search is an attempt to bring the most relevant information- from any source or medium- to the search engine user. While currently Google’s Universal Search has not added search capabilities for mediums that previously did not exist, it has started to expand its video search past its own properties (Metacafe and other video services are now being indexed in addition to Google Video and YouTube), and it does indicate the industry’s interest in fully comprehensive searches. Universal Search, along with Google’s new personalized search features, is the company’s newest way of bringing the most relevant and effective information to their users.

Drawbacks of Universal Search

There are a few legitimate concerns with Universal Search. For one, Google may be putting itself at legal risk. Google has faced numerous lawsuits from many content distributors- especially newspapers- due to the fact that Google often caches copyrighted material. However, one of the main arguments against Sam Zell (the owner of the Washington Post) and his case against Google was that Google News, the section of Google’s site that serves as a news feed, did not have advertising and therefore made no money. Because of this, the headlines and story excerpts used on the page constituted fair use. However, now that news articles are being introduced to the main search page, where Google makes the majority of its money, Google may be in danger of more lawsuits.

Additionally, some critics of Universal Search have voiced concerns that the new system may be unappealing to users. Some feel that the system makes it harder to sift through results. Universal Search breaks up the uniformity of the page and could conceivably make it more difficult to sift through the information. At this point there is no way to turn off Google’s Universal Search- a point bemoaned by many industry bloggers. Universal Search is still in its early stages, and Google, as well as the other search engines, may eventually decide to pull the system. However, at this point, it would be extremely unwise for SEO companies to bank on a reversion as the industry as a whole seems to be moving towards universal search.

How does this affect SEO?

Many in the SEO field are worried about Universal Search, and the changes it will bring. While it is still uncertain just how expansive Universal Search will be as Google continues to implement its multitude of features, it is certain that SEO companies will need to react to remain current with effective practices. Until now, on-site SEO has dealt almost entirely with text content. Keyword optimization, meta data, linking and page structure are all text. However, with the advent of Universal Search, new viable options are opening up for the acquisition of traffic. As search expands to cover more and more kinds of content, SEO will as a result expand to cover those same areas. Much the same as SEO has had the goal of making all of the textual content of a website easily accessible to a search engine, so will it become necessary to optimize images, videos, and documents associated with the website.

SEO for different industries may start to take different approaches and have different focuses of optimization. For instance, an SEO campaign for an artist’s website may want to focus on promoting images of the artist’s work, whereas an electronics provider could want to get a demonstration video of their product to the top of the results page. Search engine marketers that have been paying attention to vertical search (also known as "specialty" search) will benefit the most from the changes brought by Universal Search.

Vertical searches are specialized search features of broader engines or specialty search engines. These index specific kinds of sites and documents on the internet including books, blogs, and other informational documents. Universal Search incorporates results from Google’s vertical searches, and content optimized for these searches will be more likely to show up in Universal Search. This should also increase the average user’s awareness of other search options in the engines that adopt universal search. Universal Search allows search engine marketers to direct users to the most relevant and enticing information available on their product or service in whatever media it exists.

About The Author

David Salinas is the CEO of Digital Surgeons: A Full Service Internet Marketing Agency specializing in scalable result orientated online business solutions. He has had over four years of Search Marketing experience in the online marketing channel and has been a part of over 200 clients online growth both nationally and internationally.