Googles Search turns more personal, changing the way SEO works 2009

[Justin Havre]

I am not sure if this has been discussed in there yet, but I thought I would post it anyways. How will this effect us? Any expert opinions?

Googles Search turns more personal, changing the way SEO works 2009

Google is now changing is algorithms on how rankings work on Google. For the first 6 months in 2009 you will start to notice alot of changes with your rankings (Google dancing) as they are currently experimenting new algorithms to cut down on spam and the way results are displayed for users.

A recent interview with Bruce Clay from Clay Inc on Webpro News had the following to say about the new changes happening on Google which is going to affect the way Google ranks websites:

Behavior Based Search

Bruce says that everybody who does a search will end up with different search results based on their prior search history. Personalization is going to be “web-wide” using third party cookies and things.

He provided a specific example of a search for “java”. Some are looking for programming, some are looking for the beverage, and some are looking for travel information. Theoretically, personal search will know that and provide results accordingly.

“We can’t search for any term and look at rankings because I can get different results than you for exactly the same query. So that’s going to change a lot,” he says. It doesn’t matter if you’re logged into Google or not. Bruce believes that Google personalized results will be coming out within the first quarter of next year.

Intent-based Search

Google has been looking up your IP and revising results based on IP. They know where you’re located and can make assumptions about the intent of your search. As you get more into intent-based search, it’s going to change the way pages rank, Bruce explains. “The page that ranks for a shopping query is an entirely different architecture than the page that ranks for a research query.”

Where Does this Leave the SEO Crowd?

“Ranking is dead,” says Bruce, recalling his words from his presentation. Going forward, he says you’re going to have to look at analytics, measure traffic, bounce rates, action, etc. SEOs will have to ask themselves questions like:

- Did I get the conversion I was after?

- Did I really deliver on the promise of SEO?

Bruce thinks that in the first six months of 2009, we’re going to see a lot more implementation of behavior and intent-based search leading to a mindset of “ranking is dead, and traffic is all that matters.”

Universal Search

Bruce says this will be the most significant factor of 2009. Google looks at soundtracks and convert them to text. They can jump into the middle of videos, scan sites to determine if you have video/images or not. There are a lot of variables in universal search, and some of these variables tell how engaging your site is.

If you don’t have video and your competition does, Bruce thinks we’re going to see a big shift in rankings. He thinks if the top ten sites don’t have video, they may lose their ranking over night.

Bruce notes that Google has been testing some of these variables, and will really start testing them a lot more in the first quarter, once the holidays are out of the way. He mentions the criticism Google took over the Florida Update, which took place in the month of November, and believes the company wants to avoid that again. He thinks we’re going to see a lot of “Google Dances” early in the year though.

The Impact on Spam

According to Bruce, this is all going to really help Google fight spammers. He says it will affect the way scrapers and spammers work, because if they are just scraping text, they wouldn’t be able to rank.

He also says that all of the variables that come into play may diminish the value of linking, which will certainly not help the spammers’ cause either. He says it will be a big win for Google, and big win for the searchers.

There’s no question that if everything Bruce talked about comes true, the SEO world will be turned on its ear. Bruce says, “If you’re not ready for it as an SEO, you’re gonna lose.”

Article Source: WebproNews - Writer: Chris Crum

Link to source:

[Puyallup Agent]

Great, now I need video on my site to rank in the top ten?

[Gerry]

I like this - it means we must redouble our efforts to provide useful content on your sites, to organize it usefully, and to tag it all in way that is useful for the se's.

Our SEO team is a writing team who are trained in SEO - I think they would all love to see the focus returned to quality content. It's a bonus that they also happen to know how to organize their content in a way that attracts more search traffic.

Realtors, start saving links to pages with useful content! Start compiling point-form lists of local info! Bookmark the videos your users will want to see embedded, and create lists of all the developments and subdivisions in your service area - the race is on to backup your beautiful designs and robust search functionalities, with great content!

Compile all this info, organize it, and send it to your friendly neighbourhood content specialists so they can format, optimize, write/edit, and upload it for you, much more pretty and much more quickly than you can do it.

[REW Tyler]

I think this thread is a re post, this issue has been discussed before.

[Discover Davis Homes]

Yes, we did talk about this before - video is just one example of providing a rich user experience. I would argue that all the MLS photos we have on our sites also contribute to the user's experience.
I think Gerry is right - in the long-run - it's going to continue to be all about providing the best experience you can - that's nothing new.

[AugustaREGroup]

Another way you can tell video is making an seo impact. Is top /most competitive phrases (not real estate related) are now using optimized videos on their front pages.

[Eric Blackwell]

Folks;

Here is the link to the original discussion. My opinion on this one still stands.

http://www.realestatewebmasters.com/thread30278.html

Just provide good content and useful information and you will be fine IMO...

best

Eric

[jamesww]

I agree to an extent with things Eric has said but also believe that there are things that you can do with your content that makes indexing easier on the SEs.

[Justin Havre]

Like I said, I was not sure if it had been discussed here before. Good to hear your input and sorry for re-posting the topic.

[Eric Blackwell]

No problems at all, Justin!

I was just trying to provide a link to save folks some time. I have brought up stuff a LOT that has already been discussed ;-)

No apologies needed whatsoever.

best

Eric