Gradiva Couzin, Author at Gravity Search Marketing

Google Real-Time Search: The Bang that Whimpered

January 26, 2010
by Gradiva Couzin

Google real-time search launched in December, 2009, and the SEO industry was wild with excitement. Then, the prominence of real-time results diminished, and the excitement fizzled out. Does real-time search matter – and what should business owners do to address it?

Since Dec 10, 2009, Google has been displaying real-time results within its standard search results. You can see examples of this by searching for popular terms such as “Miley Cyrus” or “George Clooney.” Here’s an example of a real-time result displaying on the top page of results for “toyota recall” on 1/21/10:

In its first week or so, real-time search results were displaying for a wide range of search queries. Since then, however, Google has significantly scaled back the prominence of real-time search results. While the real-time search results were flowing, we got a good idea of how it works. Here’s what we think you should know to prepare your strategy for the inevitability of its wider return:

HOW IT WORKS

Google displays recent posts from Twitter, Friendfeed, and similar sources, as well as breaking news and recently updated websites. Currently Twitter is dominating these results. Live Facebook updates are expected to join in the future.
Real time results appear to be displayed for search queries that qualify as “real-time-worthy”, which is similar to the process Google uses in its determination of which queries should display News, Images, Video, Local, etc. results. This is probably influenced by the volume of Twitter content as well as volume of search queries. As an example, real times results are not displaying this evening (1/25/2010) for “H1N1 vaccine” but they are displaying for “hope for haiti” We believe this is because there are not enough tweets, search volume, or other signals to trigger real time results for “H1N1 vaccine.”
We have only observed tweets displayed up to a maximum of about an hour. If there are a larger number of tweets on a topic, then individual tweets are displayed for shorter amount of time.
There is a very short (1 min) lag time between when a tweet is posted and when it is displayed on Google.
Google has stated that it uses similar “signals of quality” for real-time content as it does for web search; however, there does not appear to be a high barrier for tweets to be included. Twitter accounts with only a few followers are included in the results.
An individual Twitter account is not listed multiple times for the same query (in other words, you can’t keep automatically tweeting the same phrase over and over again to get listed).
Links that are included in a tweet are expanded and clickable in Google’s real-time results.
Hashtags in search queries may trigger real-time search results (for example, when we looked today, “detroit” does not trigger real-time results, but “#detroit” does).
Google will favor the “primary” tweet over any retweeted or aggregated copies.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU

If your target keywords include highly “buzz”-related terms, such as current news events, celebrity names, or other entertainment keywords, real-time search results will probably display for some of your target terms. Incorporation of real-time search results may increase the visibility of tweets, news, and other online word-of-mouth about your business.
We don’t think that increasing the volume of your own Twitter-stream activity will be a strong contributor to increased presence in real-time search results. It may also turn off followers. Instead, your Twitter strategy should focus primarily on encouraging others to tweet about you, your business or your product.
Although we do not think that optimizing or increasing your Twitter posts will have a major effect, we do recommend some finessing of your current Twitter activity:
— Timing of tweets becomes more important, because a tweet that occurs at a time when nobody is searching will not be seen.
— Because Google expands all links that are included in tweets, include links to your site in your tweets whenever appropriate.

THE LAST WORD

For now, real-time search is a small factor in the Google results mix, but be prepared for it to gain in prominence. Real-time search won’t be easy to game, and probably shouldn’t be gamed. The best way to improve your site’s presence in real-time search is to improve the buzz and online word-of-mouth around your business or product. And that’s just good online word-of-mouth strategy, isn’t it?

Readers, have you seen anything in real-time search that has really surprised you? Do you ever click on those real-time listings?

Uncategorized

Want Your Facebook Status Updates Indexed in Google? We…

December 12, 2009
by Gradiva Couzin

Any minute now Someday, Facebook status posts will begin to display within Google search results. Here are three simple steps to take control over your Facebook privacy settings.

The default privacy settings on Facebook leave much of your information waving in the breeze. Things like photos and status posts might be public without your knowledge. Fortunately it takes only a few mouse-clicks to reign in this information and keep Facebook as private as you want it to be

Priority level: High.

PROFILE INFORMATION

This is where you tell Facebook who can see which elements of your FB profile (“About Me”, “Birthday”, “Religious and Political Views”, “Photos”, and so on.).

Why you might want this private: You are probably posting status updates, photos,and other information, assuming that only your friends can see them. Double-check here to be sure that’s actually true! Otherwise these things may end up viewable by everyone.

Why you might want this public: You may prefer to have all aspects of your profile open to everyone – and even get comments from total strangers!

How to change it:

Click on “Settings” in the top bar of the Facebook screen
choose “Privacy” (click the word “manage” next
to Privacy).
Choose “Profile Information”
Scroll through each of the items listed to choose your preferred
level of access.
Pay special attention to photo albums — each album can have a separate
individual privacy setting.

Priority level: Medium.

APPLICATION ACCESS TO INFORMATION

The default settings on Facebook allow applications that your friends run (things like “Which Harry Potter Character are You?”) to access all of the information that your friends can access. Then the owners of these applications can do whatever they want with that information.

Why you might want this private: You are probably posting status updates, photos, and other information assuming that only your friends can see it. If applications can gather this information, they can use it for advertising or marketing purposes, identity theft, or just about any other evil, creepy deed you can think of.

Why you might want this public: You may prefer to have all aspects of your profile open to everyone, including companies you’ve never even heard of.

How to change it:

Click on “Settings” in the top bar of the Facebook screen
choose “Privacy” (click the word “manage” next
to Privacy).
Choose “Applications and Websites”
Next to “What your friends can share about you” click
on “Edit settings”
Scroll through each of the items and UNCHECK them to make them private.

Priority level: Low.

SEARCH RESULTS AVAILABILITY

This is where you tell Facebook whether you want the public portion of your Facebook profile to be indexed in search results (both in & out of Facebook).

Why you might want this private: If you don’t want everyone on the web to be able to find your Facebook profile – only Facebook friends.

Why you might want this public: If you DO want people who are not already your FB friends to be able to find you by searching for you on Google or Facebook.

How to change it:

Click on “Settings” in the top bar of the Facebook
screen, then choose “Privacy” (or “manage” next to Privacy).
Choose “Search”
For Facebook Search Results, the default will be to allow everyone
access. Choose your preferred level of access.
For search engine indexing (eg. Google), the default will be to
allow indexing. Choose your preferred indexing.

Readers: did you take these steps yet? Any other Facebook Privacy tips you’d like to share?

Google Real-Time Search: The Bang that Whimpered

Google real-time search launched in December, 2009, and the SEO industry was wild with excitement. Then, the prominence of real-time results diminished, and the excitement fizzled out. Does real-time search matter – and what should business owners do to address it?

HOW IT WORKS

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU

THE LAST WORD

Want Your Facebook Status Updates Indexed in Google? We…

Any minute now Someday, Facebook status posts will begin to display within Google search results. Here are three simple steps to take control over your Facebook privacy settings.

Priority level: High. PROFILE INFORMATION

Priority level: Medium. APPLICATION ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Priority level: Low. SEARCH RESULTS AVAILABILITY

Get An Effective SEO Strategy

Priority level: High.

PROFILE INFORMATION

Priority level: Medium.

APPLICATION ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Priority level: Low.

SEARCH RESULTS AVAILABILITY