Is your SEO Agency Leveraging Google’s universal search model?
Chris Mulvaney is the CEO of CMDS. I make things... I’m the creative entrepreneur with passion for (re)making brands and inventing solutions to problems no one knows exist.
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Google’s Universal Search Model has been with us now since 2007. Ordinary Google users may not even know it is there, but SEO agencies clearly acknowledge its existence in the search experience.
If you are one of those who are unaware of Google’s Universal Search, let me ask you a question: Have you ever noticed at the top of Google’s search results page the additional links:
* Web
* Images
* Videos
* Maps
* News
* Shopping
* Gmail
* more…
In essence, Google is giving you the option of reviewing your search terms in one of Google’s Alternate Search Tools.
These alternate search tools are called Vertical Search Engines – search engines that focus on a very specific topic. As you may well imagine, the Images link will let you search for pictures that represent your search query. The Videos link will let you review results from YouTube and other video websites.
Vertical Search Engines can be very useful in that they allow you to narrow your search results to the kinds of information that is more to your taste.
Google’s Universal Search Model introduced some of those Vertical results into its main search page.
A search in Google’s main search page for “Michael Jackson” will reveal 3 news stories at the top of its results. Next is two pages from MichaelJackson.com and then two pages from the Wikipedia. After the Wikipedia link, Google shows five pictures of Michael Jackson and five videos featuring Michael Jackson.
Google then presents a number of normal web pages about Michael Jackson, followed by three blog posts about Michael Jackson, and finally eight Related Search Suggestions.
Google is trying to represent information from many of the Vertical Search Engines that it owns. They are trying to give you a comprehensive analysis of the available information online, so that you can more easily find exactly what you are looking to find. Does your SEO agency even know this?
Each search vertical even offers a direct link to enable you to explore the vertical with more gusto. For example, the title “Blog posts about michael jackson”, if clicked, will show you nothing but Blog posts about Michael Jackson.
As someone looking to get ranked in Google, Universal Search is a blessing in disguise. It may be easier to rank for your target keywords in one of the verticals, and therefore, it is entirely possible to quickly and easily rank in a very competitive industry in the vertical and thus gain page one rankings in Google, with very little effort.
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