Why local and behavioral search must keep Google successful
We know the number of web pages is growing exponentially, more and more content is out there.
We know that around 75% of small businesses do not even have a web presence, try searching for a butcher in your local suburb. This will grow over the next 3 years.
We know that large companies can afford good web design and search engine optimisation (SEO) firms to help them build their rankings in search engines.
We know that Google is largely dependent on search related revenue and continued growth, and it is thus critically important for them to keep users engaged with search results.
We know that human beings are creatures of habit and that most will not act more than around 30% of the accepted norm.
Finally, we know search is a set of software based rules, search engines cannot see the patterns or form opinions, it is rule based.
So what? I hear you think?
Well, if most established sites and companies can afford large websites and the best SEO advice money can buy, the chances of a smaller company ranking for a highly searched on term does not look so good from the start, and we know search users will use similar key terms to find things. In fact Google helps with the suggest feature. So other than for obscure, long tail items, pretty much, you are going to see the same culprits ranking for certain keywords, being branded, well known large organisations. Right? In fact search users get comfort they have used the right search terms when they see brands they recognise in the results who provide the product or service they are after.
So if 20% of all keywords provide 80% of the traffic and there is big dollars behind these search terms, how will Google keep users engaged in search results which have the potential to become increasingly similar for similar terms, other than to encourage them to click past the first page of results.
Cynics might say Universal search was the first attempt, change the results, throw some images, news results and video in there, a change is as good as a holiday. I say Universal search is useful and a logical next step to search results.
But from there why not move to localise results and also adjust them based on what they know about you. You like hiking, you want to go on holiday, maybe accommodation near hiking trails is what you are looking for. Makes sense and is useful not only to the user but also to the advertiser who can get highly targeted traffic with a higher sense of conversion. It also mixes up the results again, so large hotels are not always ranking for the local accommodation search terms, but maybe accommodation local to where you are going which is not mainstream and also which may encourage participation in your specific interests.
So, the idea is that Google must keep on innovating to keep search results fresh and the users coming back. Not to mention quality in the results.
The question I have is whats next? How will search results change, be enhanced or add more value other than incremental refinement on all of these in the future?
Guess your search term before you do? Maybe provide search results through a new channel, not even thought of now.
Whatever it is, Google seem to get this need, and as more content goes online, their offering becomes ever increasingly important.
