The search engine site, Google, has seen some new changes this year and has announced that they
will be integrating Google+, the sites social networking arm, with their usual search engine site.
This move has come under fire from people working within social media as well as its users.
Providing a more integrated listing
Google have defended their decision by claiming that the move was to incorporate an understanding
of people and their behaviours and interests into the way that the search engine collects results so
that a more comprehensive listing could be provided rather than one that simply draws on content.
In this way, results can be personalised based on your profile, your likes and dislikes, your
photographs and your postings.
Understanding these changes
Although there is mounting criticism, the decision has now been made and so it is important that as
a business, you can make sense of these changes and find out how they can impact you and how you
can use them to your own advantage. The changes mean essentially that when you search for a
certain search item, Google will provide you with results that are drawn from the photos you have
on your Google plus profile, the posts you put up, and any other information you have shares
through Google+.
The results that are provided will fall into three groups which will include results that are personal to
you, profiles included in the search term, and profiles and pages that are identified as of interest to you.
There is still a way to go before the new changes can be fully understood and we can fathom what
information will be shown in the results.
Google plus as a platform
Google does not position itself as a social networking site per se, but rather as a platform. Its reach goes
far and away beyond its humble beginnings as a search engine and it has never admitted to limiting itself
as such. Its starting point was just that, a starting point, and now all of the other pieces are falling into
place, making its original vision, a reality. The aim for Google now, is to join together social media with
search engine optimisation which from a business’s point of view, means that it is now possible to focus
on the Google plus profile as well as content.
How businesses can benefit
Search engine optimised content is a primary consideration for businesses and Google always places sites
with SEO content high in its listings, whether through its checkout service, its maps app or its book search.
The new developments simply mean that Google plus will also be brought into the mix. Although the
details about the algorithm used have not been provided, what is known is that businesses must now turn
their attention towards Google plus in their internet marketing strategy.
The Consumer Point of View
From the consumer point of view, there have been concerns about how Google plus would be perceived.
Some customers, though, have come forward and sad that they have actually found some of the tools to be
rather useful, such as being able to see whether a contact in their circle had looked for the same search
items. If these search terms include certain items or services that a contact has purchased then this will
appear in their search results and help promote various businesses.
Importantly though, if a user is unhappy with the way Google search plus is working for them, all they need
do is turn it off.
