The new Google search format and what it means for your business

Developments are afoot once more for Google, with a new format for the integration of Google+ searches making its way onto our screens. This new format means that brands on Google+ can now occupy a much larger proportion of the search results screen than they did previously. This appears to be a simple progression of the new Search Plus Your World update that we discussed back in January which primarily sees the Google+ page recommendations/latest posts appear at the top right of the screen as opposed to its previous location within the search listings.

What does this mean for your SEO strategy?

For businesses on Google+ this is going to become key for your natural search strategy as appearing in the top right of search results (in a space usually reserved for paid search ads) will mean more visibility and an additional place for users to access your social content. It’s also important to note that as with previous Search Plus Your World, this format change is visible even if a user isn’t signed in to their Google+ account meaning it will reach a far greater audience than was previously possible.

Currently the format is only available for some results (Google owned sites such as Gmail & YouTube, as well as more diverse sectors such as information site, Search Engine Land and chairty Unicef UK) and has not been fully rolled out but it’s clear that Google + will begin playing an even bigger role in search results in coming months than it has before. Preparing for that now will ensure greater visibility for your brand when the format is fully rolled out.

Get Involved, Get Listed

If you’re not already on Google+ then it’s time to get started. It is becoming all too clear that Google may start showing preferential treatment to those companies that are engaging with it. Previously there has been debate about whether people are actually using Google+ and even our own research has demonstrated a large number of people signing up only to never use it again. However this now goes further than whether or not users are interacting with each other and companies via the platform and becomes much more about non-user search results which is key to ensuring you don’t overlook the importance of having and maintaining a presence. If you haven’t done so already sign up to a company profile and get your employees signed up in a professional capacity too.

If you already have a profile set up then it’s time to assess whether you are utilising all of the features on offer. It’s all very well having a profile but key to its success both socially and for the new search format is ensuring that you create interesting, fresh and relevant content. This concept isn’t a new one as marketing and social media best practice will always point back to content being king but it is something that will be all the more applicable with the new format and within the larger social-search environment. As the Unicef image above shows, the new results will be labelled “latest posts” so the chances of your content being visible in this area if it isn’t fresh is very slim, especially if Google utilise this format for non-brand terms as well as specific company searches (example below).

 Will this really make a difference?

In short; yes. What’s important to remember is that the more active you are and the more your Google+ content is shared the higher authority Google will give your page. Getting more +1s and of better quality will likely be crucial to this and the only way that will happen is if you are creating content that people want to share. Producing regular, informative and entertaining material that people can engage with is going to have a huge effect on whether or not you appear in the new results and getting started on this now will help improve your chances of being there when the format gets rolled out. As Google themselves told Search Engine Land:

“We’re continuing to experiment with the ways we can help you find and interact with the people you’re looking for or who may be related to the topic you’re searching for.”

This is the next inevitable step to ensuring that searchers are finding the most up-to-date and relevant information for their search queries and one that any business can adopt when experimenting with their SEO, Social and Content strategy.

Want to know more about the new update and the ways that you can prepare for it now? Then keep an eye out for details of our new white paper on the subject by following us on Twitter, adding us to your Google+ circles, or subscribing to Connect.

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