For today’s post we’re continuing with the SEO flavour, in the form of a Q&A session with our own Search guru, Juan Karstel. Social Search has been the big talking point in SEO circles for some time now and it’s been getting an increasing amount of attention here at Quirk. The introduction of Google’s +1 and other initiatives are clear signs that the Search giant is shifting towards placing more of an emphasis on social signals in its ranking algorithm. We asked Juan a few questions to get more insight…
So Juan, in a nutshell, what is Social Search?
Social Search is a type of Web search that displays results according to social connections and their recorded interactions directly in the search engine results pages. Fundamentally, it recognises that the content that your friends, followers and acquaintances have shared on social networks is likely to be more relevant to your query and is therefore given preference.
Image Credit: Salvatore Vuono
Google recently launched +1, which furthers its integration of Social by allowing users to “Like” organic search results. This is a logical next step, and in theory it makes a lot of sense, but is there anything you’d change about this functionality?
The +1 concept is sound and the functionality practical, but the product’s name presents a problem. While the name +1 sounds great when you think it – typing or saying it does not have the same ring as ‘I Liked that’ or ‘I re-tweeted that’. Conversely ‘I +1’d that’ seems clumsy and redundant. In my opinion, a large part of Google’s success has been due to the versatility of its brand name, particularly as a verb. ‘Google’, ‘Googling’ and ‘Googled’ are all common words in modern vocabulary, which has led to unrivalled brand awareness for the company. This is something Google should re-consider when planning its Social layer.
What implications does +1 have for PPC campaign managers?
‘Word of mouth’ is a powerful form of marketing and ‘word of click’ will be similarly effective. For PPC campaign managers – having relevant users +1ing their content will drastically increase the click through rate, based on the perceived shared interest of the clicker’s social circle. The AdWords system will allow advertisers to see which ad campaigns are the most popular in terms of +1s, which will allow them to get an idea about which content is more ‘+1able’ and aid future campaign planning. Google +1 however will not be influential in determining quality score and campaign managers therefore, won’t have to make adjustments based on the initiative. According to Google the +1 system is an “enhancement that can help already successful Search campaigns perform better”. The downside of this enhancement from a PPC point of view is that having the +1 button next to the click-able link could lead to users clicking on the link, and costing the advertiser money, when all they really wanted to do was ‘+1 it’. However this is a scenario that Google deems highly unlikely. Guess we’ll have to see how it rolls out.
What implications does it have for SEOs? If Social Search truly takes off, would it not make sense for Google to pay less attention to backlinks as a ranking signal, and instead place increasing emphasis on Social metrics?
Absolutely. By constantly updating its algorithm, Google looks to provide the most relevant results to search queries. By acknowledging social signals, Google can uncover the most relevant results based on information shared in each visitor’s social circle. Social signals will ultimately overtake backlinks as one of the most influential off-page SEO factors. For the time being however, credible backlinks are still seen as a vote of confidence by search engines and this trend will continue to be a ranking factor for the foreseeable future. Going forward, Google will have to keep one eye on the more traditional signals and the other on Social metrics. Whether attracting links or looking to set the world of Social Media alight, for an SEO the task remains the same; create engaging optomised content that can easily be shared, liked, re-tweeted and linked to.
What does +1 mean for Google’s competitors? Bing offers its own incarnation of Social Search – piggybacking on Facebook’s Open Graph – but will it need to step up its game if it hopes to stay relevant? Will it bring out a +1 of its own?
Google are not only the overwhelming market leader in the search engine space – they are the pioneers. Their ranking algorithm is the trendsetter in the market and their offering the benchmark. As the search engine market moves more towards social signals, other search engines like Bing will have to step up their game and look to include Social Search in their algorithm more actively. At the moment search engines such as Bing do recognise ‘likes’ and other social signals in their ranking metrics and this specific factor will need to have a greater influence in returning results going forward, if Bing are to have a realistic chance of competing. It’s therefore only a matter of time before Bing is forced to reveal their own +1 initiative or ‘Like button.’
Finally, what does +1 mean for Google’s other offerings? What happens to Google Buzz? Could +1 be the first phase in Google’s rollout of its own social network?
It could very well be the beginning of Google’s own social network. By leveraging its massively popular search engine results pages, Google +1 is well positioned to build its own social graph of how people are connected to each other. Additionally it provides Google with vital insight into what exactly consumers dislike and like, or +1, on the Web. So whether or not they are planning their own social network, the information that +1 will uncover will prove to be a logical starting point. Services like Google Buzz aren’t exactly buzzing but will remain in operation.
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