WSI Blog

'Social Search': The last 2 weeks have seen significant changes to the Google search algorithm, as described on the official Google blog. In simple terms, this means they've changed the results on a typical Google search page. So if you haven't already, it's worth checking if and how your business rankings have been affected.

The message from Google is loud and clear: search results are now influenced more heavily than ever by social media. If your business doesn't yet have a social media presence, now is really the time to consider whether you should take that plunge.

When we're looking for information on the web, Google's job is to provide 'relevance'. Relevance can mean many things, but one of the key indicators of relevance is fresh, up to date content. It's no great surprise then Google is incoporating material from blogs, twitter, and other social networking sites into the search results, in an effort to provide its users with a richer, more rewarding search experience.  Google calls it a new emphasis on 'relationships'.

These 'Social Search' results are only available when you're logged into your Google account (i.e. when your browser knows who you are, it can provide content from within your own personal network). This is another step in the relentless process of the personalisation of Google search, where no two users get the same results.

Is your business publishing content on the web, via a blog, regular website updates or social media channels? Given the confirmed importance in Google's eyes, now is certainly a good time to think about it...