Universal Search Will Only Get Better - IMS #124


About 10 days ago, Google decided to try something new in the way they show search results. It's called, "Universal Search."

All long winded press coverage aside, it means that in addition to web pages, there will be pictures, videos, and other media sources mixed into the main search results pages. But it turns out there's way more than multimedia.

There's Wiki results. Blog and forum posts. Twitter feeds, Geocities pages, newsgroups, news archives, Technorati tags, and get this... even personal ads from dating services. At least that's the way it was on the day I searched for Chewbacca, a fictional character from the Star Wars universe.

They've just started doing it, so the results are all over the map. I'm sure it will settle down into some sort of recognizable pattern that we can test and measure.

There have been all sorts of reports in the media and blogosphere. Some doom and gloom. Lots of speculation and useless drivel. What's important, is the impact it will have on you.

As always, some of you will lose positioning and for others it will increase. If you have other forms of media, in addition to web pages, you'll get increased exposure. Your PDFs, videos, podcasts and photos get a better chance of being found in the mainstream results.

What is important is how you name and describe the files. For example, the description of your podcast becomes critical. You must place your most important keywords in the title, file name (if possible) and meta description.

Same deal with photos. Name the person or object in the filename, as in firstandlastname.jpg, not pic123.jpg. Link to the photo with keywords when possible. My early tests show keywords appearing in the alt tag, tool tips or file path only occasionally.

When Google announced the change, they told us to search for things like Steve Jobs, or Darth Vader and see the new results. There's the new toolbar across the top of all search pages, the potpourri of search results, and "Searches related to" links at the bottom, for drilling down into topics.

Something interesting to note, is that all the new features may not be available in your area. Only half the features work when searching Google.ca but all the changes become apparent when using Google.com.

Another thing you'll notice, is the dynamic nature of the Google index. It fluctuates almost daily.

When I first searched for Steve Jobs, there were three photos at the top of the results. Two days later, the photos were gone and one video from YouTube was there instead.

Same deal with Darth Vader. There were image results at the top for the first week. Today when I searched, the same images are at the bottom, under the related searches and news archives.

According to Marissa Mayer, Google VP of Search Products, who originated the idea, "Over several years, with the help of more than 100 people, we've built the infrastructure, search algorithms, and presentation mechanisms to provide what we see as just the first step in the evolution toward universal search.

Today, we're making that first step available on google.com by launching the new architecture and using it to blend content from Images, Maps, Books, Video, and News into our web results.

With universal search, we're attempting to break down the walls that traditionally separated our various search properties and integrate the vast amounts of information available into one simple set of search results."

Right now it's like a big batch of stew, freshly made. But like any soup or stew, it tastes better the second day, after the flavors have a chance to marry.

So we'll need to wait a while and see where it all goes. In the mean time, pay close attention to how you name and describe your videos, photos and audio files. Your chances of showing up in Google's Universal Search results depend on it.

To find out more about Universal Search, you can read the rest of Marissa's "The Best Answer" blog post. You can read the CNN "Google Unifies Search" report. And last but not least, Googles official, "Move to Universal Search" press release.

Posted: Thu - May 24, 2007 at 03:43 PM          





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