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Optimizing Content for Google's Universal Search
By Claudia Bruemmer (c) 2007

By now, you've all heard about Google's new Universal Search
concept, which combines all the information within its vertical
databases into one index to serve a single set of Web search
results. As you can imagine, this will require some adjustments
to standard search engine optimization techniques. If you have
been following the Bruce Clay methodology, then you should
already be on the right track to optimizing every aspect of your
Web site that is under your control. With the arrival of
universal search, it's not just a good idea; it's a
necessity.

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." Mayer stated on the official Google blog that the
universal search vision would be "one of the biggest
architectural, ranking, and interface challenges" the search
engine would face.

Mayer first suggested this concept to Google back in 2001. Since
then, the company has been building the infrastructure,
algorithms and presentation mechanisms needed to blend the
different content from Images, Video, News, Maps, Blogs et al
into its Web results. This is Google's first step toward
removing the partition that separates its numerous search silos,
integrating these vast repositories of information into a
universal set of search results. The object is to make queries
more relevant for users, but what are the ramifications for
SEO?

Google Relevancy Challenge

Based on industry research, Google has a relevancy problem
because the database is too vast. Back in 2005, Jupiter Research
touched on this, stating it identified an opportunity for
vertical search engines. The study inferred that general search
engines were good at classifying vast amounts of information,
but not very good at serving results that helped users make
decisions.

A year later, Outsell came out with "Vertical Search Delivers
What Big Search Engines Miss," a study that also mentioned the
opportunity for vertical search due to dissatisfaction with
general search engines. This report published the oft-quoted
fact stating that the average Internet search failure rate is
31.9 percent. The study identified two market trends
contributing to the growth of vertical search – failed general
searches and rising keyword prices in paid search.

Another noteworthy study was conducted by Convera. Over 1,000
online business users were asked about their search practices,
successes, and failures. Only 21 percent of the respondents
thought that search queries on general search engines were
understood, a mere 10 percent found critical information on the
first try in general search engines. This study concluded, "To
date, professionals have not been adequately served by consumer
search engines."

The results of these studies show that Google and other general
search engines are challenged to produce relevant results,
suggesting vertical and niche search engines could eliminate
such problems because the niche databases contain topic-specific
information, serving targeted, more relevant answers to user
queries.

Google's Solution to Relevancy

Since Google's move toward universal search, one can only assume
it has considered the above problems and decided that pulling
all its databases together, comparing and ranking them
accurately at warp speed, could be the solution to relevancy.
Doing this requires new technical infrastructure, including new
algorithms, software and hardware, which Google has been working
on since 2001 and is now in the process of implementing.
Universal search has implications for search marketers because
it is a departure from the uniformity that characterized search
marketing in the past, requiring adjustments in SEO methodology.
Since the modifications will be implemented in steps, immediate
changes in the SERPS won't be obvious, and there is time to
develop new optimization strategies.

Search Personalization

In addition to universal search, Google is also focusing on
personalization in the SERPs. This means users will be seeing
different SERPS based on their previous queries, if signed into
their Google accounts. Users may or may not notice many changes
in the SERPs due to universal search and personalization,
depending on their level of sophistication and/or powers of
observation. However, marketers will be scrambling. Marketers
will need to get their clients listed into as many niche
databases as possible to increase the breadth of coverage for
universal search. Social media optimization techniques can be
used to enhance both universal and personalized search results.

Universal Search Optimization Strategies

The focus on personalization and universal search requires more
emphasis on social media SEO strategies because of user interest
in creating content and the vast amounts of new multimedia
content created daily on the Web. Marketers are beginning to
drive traffic via social networking sites, and these efforts are
known to enhance search engine optimization campaigns.
Strategies include creating multimedia content such as blogs,
videos and podcasts, and then getting them listed on social
search sites like Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit and StumbleUpon, as
well as niche search engines like Technorati, Podzinger and
Blinx.

When creating multimedia content, you must ensure that it is
tagged and cataloged correctly. Multimedia content is optimized
through established fundamental SEO techniques, such as creating
keyword-rich, user-friendly content, unique Meta tags, good site
navigation and structure, and implementing a successful linking
strategy. Below are a few suggestions for creating and
submitting multimedia content for several of Google's vertical
databases to gain extended reach through universal search.

Google Image Search: It has always been a good idea to use
images on your site for illustrating your products and services.
Now, this becomes a way for your customers to 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 the vision impaired and
others who might need to view the site with text only.

Google Video (beta): As with optimizing images, use descriptive,
keyword-rich file names for your video files. Also create a
keyword-rich title tag, description tag, and video site map.
Create a Web page to launch your video, optimizing content for
SEO and using anchor text wherever possible. Besides submitting
to Google Video, also include Blinkx and other social networking
and search sites like YouTube and Podzinger (audio and video
search engine).

Google News: Here's where you can submit your press releases for
display as "news" and subsequent indexing. Issue press
releases containing current information about new products and
events your site is involved with and Google News will likely
pick it up.

Google Maps: This is also known as Google Local, a vertical that
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.

Google Blog Search (beta): You all have a corporate blog, right?
This is how modern companies communicate with their customers
and stakeholders. Tag it (digg, del.icio.us, stumbleupon, etc.),
submit to Google Blog search, and extend your reach for Web
searches on Google.

In closing, there are many ways social and multimedia content
can enhance your SEO efforts. Experiment and learn how to use
social media to extend your SEO rankings. As you become aware of
the many niche databases for submitting multimedia content, this
can go a long way toward gaining visibility through Google's
personalized and universal search.
================================================================
Claudia Bruemmer is a writer and editor for Bruce Clay Inc.
(http://www.bruceclay.com/).
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