Search Engine Optimization

This is a comparison of 3 search engine leaders and their ability to blend vertical search elements. Universal searches are conducted through general search box for example: google.com as opposed to video.google.com.

Universal search is the mix of all the searches into a general search. For example “Michael Jackson” gives: news about him, pictures, videos, possible answers and blog posts. Global search is becoming the new standard and is definitely going to affect SEO as it moves further. Domination under different domains is becoming harder, since local businesses are required to stretch themselves and sometimes “pose” in order to get as much business as possible.

We can identify 9 primary verticals that more or less are searched every day. For the purposes of comparison we’re going to exclude web search.

Universal Search

• Local/Maps
• Images
• News
• Video
• Product Search
• Book Search

Universal Results – Local Search Blend

“Edmonton Lawyer”

Edmonton lawyer gives slightly different layout on google.com universal search. Locals are located in the middle with 3 organic listings on the top. It isn’t very clear what is the criteria, but most likely the click through rate. Here is what Danny of SEO Land had to say:

“Notice how the local search box is in the middle of the page? That’s because, at the time, Google decided that after looking at all the various vertical and web search results, local results were fourth in overall relevancy.”

Google.com

“Roofing Company in Toronto”

Google gave universal search results, with 7 local listings on top, followed by 10 regular webpages. On the bottom there is an option to look for more locals. Blended Google search for local businesses features:

• Variety
• Phone Numbers
• Address(need to click)
• Reviews

Google went step ahead and allowed people to review universal search results. This is a very effective approach, in line with ever growing social media. Reviews have been around for quite a bit and Amazon with Shopzilla have showed their effectiveness on user experience and long term business success.

Yahoo.com

“Toronto Pizza”

Yahoo.com does not provide local results for “Toronto Pizza” within its global search blend. We get regular search + Suggestions(“also try”). To get Local we have to go to Yahoo.ca

This is isn’t very practical from user perspective, as there are definitely a number of Canadians who use yahoo.com as opposed to yahoo.ca. With ever growing and aggressive Google, Yahoo shouldn’t let it float. Thought it is a small factor, it partially explians why Yahoo! is in hardship – Google treats it users better, both universal and with little things.

Yahoo.ca “Toronto Pizza”

Yahoo gives 3 local results. Each result leads to Yahoo Locals Page, with address and an option to rate it using 5 star system. 5 Star system can be effective, however reviews would be more on target. People love to engage the web, what is better example then Digg, Reddit and Facebook?

On the bottom we get 3 extra Yahoo Answers results which are quite helpful.

“Edmonton Lawyer” (yahoo.ca)

Edmonton lawyer is identical to “Toronto Pizza” universal search, but with one answer on the bottom instead of 3.

Live.com

“Toronto Pizza”

Both live.com and live.ca do not provide maps of any kind. The first result is from from maps.live.com, but the title does tell much to the average user. Below are regular web results. Though the first result links out to maps, it is not fully featured as a part of “universal search”.

“Edmonton Lawyer”

“edmonton lawyer” search is identical to “Toronto Pizza” in terms of results.

Local Search who is Better in Universal World?

Google by far is the leader. It Offers:

• Variety
• Phone Numbers
• Reviews

Yahoo offers less choices and no reviews, but instead a five star system. I believe reviews are still a way to go and it is going to prop Google in the long run.

Yahoo offers less choice. As from user perspective I am better off with Google.

Yahoo Answers were quite useful. Though I did not have a question in mind, they definitely intrigued me to click on them. Value.

Microsoft is by far the weakest link and is going to get hurt in the future. Local is becoming more and more important and MS better get their stuff straight or it will experience more losses to Google.

Images

Image search in this article implies to blended image search together with regular search, aka – universal search.

Google.com

“Britney Spears”

For Britney search Google gives images right away. It is also followed by news results, followed by web results.

“Britney Spears pictures”

It is identical to “britney spears” search but with different news and websites on the bottom.

Yahoo.com

“Britney Spears”

Yahoo does not show the images, but offers “also try: britney spears photos” which leads to refined search with “britney spears photos” for the keyword, as opposed to linking to the image search.

On the bottom we’re also presented with news line up for Ms. Britney.

“Britney Spears Pictures”

Only refined with the word “pictures” we get the results of full universal search. Yahoo does not feature news about britney for “Britney Spears Pictures”.

I believe Yahoo is going to lose by not featuring pictures for keywords where images do not hurt, but rather add to the overall search experience.

Live.com

“Britney Spears”

As with Google “britney spears” search gives us a number of images, this time 4 as opposed to 2 with Google. On the bottom are links to news just like with Yahoo and Google.

“britney spears pictures”

Identical pictures, different web results and news removed. Live is in line with Google and both win over Yahoo.

Blended Universal Image Search who is better?

Both Google and Live.com offered image results for “”Britney Spears”, while Yahoo limited to “”Britney Spears Pictures”.

Live.com featured more pictures than Google(4 instead of 2), while google put bet on freshness. Instead of showing Ms. Spears pics, Google gave pregnant Britney + more recent pictures, while Live showed old, but relevant pictures.

Both Google and MS did a good job. Term is very general , but effort is on both sides. Yahoo losses in this case, since offering pics for general searches is becoming standard. I believe it will not be long, until Yahoo starts featuring images without “picture/image/pic” keyword in its universal search results.

News

Search is conducted using key phrases that imply to news, but not directly include the “news” in the keyword. News search is done through main portal to test universal search abilities of 3 search engines.

Google.com

“fed cut” -(abbreviation for Federal Reserve Interest Rate Cut)

Google served 3 news pieces + a picture. It also features related articles. Regular web results follow suite.

Publications featured in the news are American, even though my IP is Canadian.

“Iraq”

Iraq search is a little bit different.

Google changes search results from time to time. For example, if you search for the same term, google pay remove PPC, images or change some results to ensure that people find what they need.

First search for “iraq” gave me 3 pictures. (above)

Though that girl is cute, she is irrelevant. People searching for Iraq aren’t looking for dating. Another pic is dead, though it works when clicked on it. This is a problem I’ve seen for some of the images. Third pic gives me what I had in mind.

Google also featured news from 3 different publications after images.

Second Time I searched for “iraq”, Google left the images, but took away the news. News only appeared after 3 more searches for the same term.

Yahoo.com

“fed cut” -(abbreviation for Federal Reserve Interest Rate Cut)

“Fed cut” on Yahoo features news publications as a number one from Yahoo News, followed by the regular web. News are from 3 sources, US. Yahoo lacks a picture. I found that a picture beside news links gets more attention than traditional text links.

“Iraq”

Iraq Gets me 3 news pieces for Iraq, with a features picture. Yahoo universal search is just as good as Google in this example.

Live.com

“fed cut” -(abbreviation for Federal Reserve Interest Rate Cut)

“Iraq”

Both Searches return 3 news results for the related term, but this time Live has an advantage. It tracks my IP and features Canadian publications as opposed to the American. It’s not much, but it adds a nice personal touch.

News – Global Search

Overall universal news results are standing hand to hand. Google has an advantage of featuring a picture next to the news, while Live shows country specific publications. In the universal search in terms of news serving, Yahoo is a bit behind.

Google also has a tendency of featuring news mixed with regular web, in 3-6th position.

It is also very important to note, as stated by SE Land.

“The centralized system will hit news sites frequently, because that’s what you need to do to keep news content fresh. Blog search continues to take in only whatever is put out in a feed, so that it doesn’t have complete information for sites that use partial feeds. Pages like this only get updated when a regular crawl happens.

That regular crawl, however, can be faster for sites that Google has either algorithmically or with human review decided should be part of its “instant layer.” These are sites where pages are fully crawled within hours or less of posting…”

Since Danny did an article on universal search i decided to Google “universal search”

On Google as #1

I decided to test Yahoo and Live. Yahoo featured SE Land on number 4 spot while Live did not have it. I was also offered related news to the “universal search”, in a regular “3 News Stories Format”.

Though as a searcher I am interested in general news, Google and Yahoo have a major advantage of getting the freshest content indexed in a matter of hours. It also important to note that sites like SE Land, SE Watch, SEO Roundtable, Webmaster World, etc are key to SEO industry news reporting, hence putting more weight on them as opposed to New York Time is crucial to the overall relevancy.

In this example Google is leader, since it featured Search Engine Land on number one spot, followed by Yahoo. MS is loosing out and will need to put more weight on freshness.

To be continued…

Okay so let’s face it. Valentine’s day is around the corner. Valentine’s day usually has a bad reputation for the people who are single and have no one to celebrate with. All the hearts, and teddy bears and chocolates are saturating stores all over. I’ve always though that Valentine’s day should be celebrated by everyone. You don’t really have to be in love to celebrate this sweet sweet holiday. There are hundreds of different things you can do if you are single or a couple or just willing to spend it with friends you love. Here are a few suggestions as to what everyone can do to have a Valentine’s Day to remember.

Single in the city

For the people who are single, there are activities available to you. Research Google and type in “Single’s Valentine” or “meet and greet Valentine” to find activities that allow all single to meet in one place and maybe find their Valentine. This is a great way to meet people who are in the same situation you are in. There are many clubs and venues that provide fun, interactive and exciting events to offer a chance for singles to mingle. Look for local events and research on the internet to find a meet and greet that will best suit you.

Double Trouble

For couples who wish to spend a “low key” Valentine’s Day, jus use your imagination and think outside the box. Fancy dinners and chocolates are overrated. Look for a unique event to take your date. Sometimes, less is more. A simple walk outside or a trip to the museum offers a great alternative for people who want to experience a more intimate day. There are great gifts that can be given that are outside the box. Customizing a mug or writing a poem is a great way to show you care with unique style. Try making dinner at home and getting a nice bottle of wine. Valentine’s day usually means packed restaurants and long waiting list. Stay home and find a unique “love” recipe online. Make it an event to remember by putting some unique effort into your day.

Group Love

If you are a group of friends that don’t have any plans for Valentines day, try organizing a night in with your best friends. You can have a great deal of fun by making fun of the holiday. By researching Google, you will find a bunch of Valentine’s Day activities that are a blast to do. Create the ultimate night in with the people you love the most. By making cakes and cocktails, you can create your own Valentine’s Day evening. All you need is your imagination and the will to have a positive attitude regarding Valentine’s Day.

Now with these three new ways of celebrating valentines day, create your very own event. Everyone should celebrate this day of love and passion, single or coupled up, it is a time to say “I love you”. Be creative and think outside the box to get the Valentine’s Day you’ve always dreamed of.

Danny of SE Land goes into detail discussing the new outlook of Google Universal Search. In the article he covers:

• Web
• Book Search
• Local/Maps
• Images
• News
• Video
• Blogs
• Product Search(Base/Froogle)

You can read the article at Search Engine Land.

 

 

Matt Cutts officially recognized Google position 6 filter where websites from #1, #2 spots were switched to #6.

Webmaster World Thread here.

Many were very skeptic about it. SEO Book wrote in detail how #6 filter affected their websites.