How Will Search, Plus Your World Affect E-Commerce Marketing?

Jan 19, 2012
Carol Finch

Search, plus Your World Launches - Image by sachyn

Google's latest development in social search puts the focus on relationships and relevancy. How might this impact on your internet marketing strategy?

The launch of a new, personalized search system by Google (Search, plus Your World) could, depending on take-up, change the way that people find information online. This new initiative adds additional social elements to the mix. How might this affect the way that your customers find you? Will you need to change your web marketing strategy?

What is Search, Plus Your World?

Google's search results now incorporate more elements of social networking and online activity. If you are logged into your account when you search right now, your default results will be personalized according to the way you use Google+. So, sites and links will be promoted if they have a connection to you, your friends or related communities.

In the past, results were ranked by certain factors over which you had no influence. This allowed websites to 'game' the ranking system by using SEO to trigger search patterns and behavior. Multiple iterations of the Google algorithm have gradually switched the emphasis here. Over the last couple of years, you have probably seen your own results become more targeted to your surfing habits and location and sites/pages that perform well in social networking terms have seen a boost in rank.

Following on from the launch of the Google+ social network, Search, plus Your World basically extends this a little further. Instead of getting a page of relatively impartial results, your top returns will be connected to you, the people to whom you are connected and the people to whom they are connected. It's kind of like getting private recommendations from people you know mixed with regular public results. So, what does this mean for your business?

Businesses Need to Focus on the Social

Few online businesses can do really well without paying attention to social networking. Although traditional SEO will not disappear, you may well need to adapt your online marketing tactics again now. Even before this launch, the uptake of networks such as Facebook and Twitter have taught us how important it is (and how profitable it can be) to directly interact with our customers on new and more personal levels.

This may not mean a massive overall strategy change – think of it as another string to your online marketing bow. You could, for example, set up a Google+ account for your business, start building a viable presence on the network and promote the +1 button across all your other online initiatives. Comments, shares and +1s will all affect how and where your business appears in search results from this point on. You need to get close to the people who can make this happen for you.

What do You Need to Know About Search, Plus Your World Right Now?

Nobody can say exactly how, or even if, this will take off. Although obviously part of a bigger picture for Google, the dots aren't all connected yet and this is a new development on a young network. Although tapping into personalized results may be good for your business, you need to be aware of its current limits. For example:

People can toggle between personalized search and regular results. They can also switch the program off permanently. It is too early to say how popular it will be.
The jury is out on how positively users perceive Google in general right now. Antitrust issues and search result inconsistencies after Panda algorithm changes have had a negative impact in some quarters.
Results only come from some areas (such as Google+ and Picasa) although this may be extended to cover other company products over time.
At the moment, there are no third party agreements in place with other social networks although related results can appear generally in searches. If there were a more formal link in the future, then this could be huge.

This may be a new program but it is run by Google and, on that basis alone, you can't really afford to ignore its potential. Today's relationship marketing needs a much more collaborative customer-centric and influenced approach – if this works, Google could actually do some of the work for you.