In May last year, Google made the biggest change yet to its search results by introducing universal search to its organic search engines results pages. MSN followed suit in July 2007, as did Yahoo in October. So one year on, what impact has universal search – also known as blended search – had on the user experience, PPC advertisers and those who are trying to climb the organic listing ladder? And maybe more importantly, what opportunities might universal search hold for the B2B sector?
What is Universal Search?
Universal Search is a term coined by Google to describe its blended search method, which mixes results from its vertical search engines, such as news, video and images with standard results. These vertical search engines aren’t new – they’ve been part of Google search for years, visible above the standard search area in tabs such as images and maps. But few searchers used them – they were effectively invisible. So Google decided to blend these vertical search services with ‘regular’ results to increase visibility and usage. That may turn out to be good news for users, but it also reduces listing space available for standard web page results.
What impact does Universal Search make on the B2B sector?
Until now B2B marketers have been conservative in their approach to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), optimising web pages only and shying away from creative approaches that tie in other digital content. But with universal search, the B2B sector can no longer afford to be so conservative. B2B marketers should regard universal search as an opportunity to branch out with a more creative online presence and as an incentive to leverage digital content.
And if you don’t have any digital content apart from web pages, you should consider creating some. Universal search gives you the opportunity to dominate the organic SERP (search engine results pages) for a search term not only with your optimised web page, but also with images, news and videos. Pascale Perry, SEO strategist at iLevel, says, “Being able to leverage all of a website’s assets – showcasing products in Google images, a corporate blog or video content – allows businesses to give a richer brand experience to searchers and attract valuable traffic.”
The impact on PPC advertisers
B2B brands have always been heavy PPC spenders and they sometimes depend solely on paid listings results in their search engine presence, although it has long been known that 73 per cent of searchers prefer the organic results. But what impact will Universal Search have on this preference for organic results?
“The ability to introduce ‘rich media’ content to organic SERPs has created a more interactive results page, making it essential for online marketers to understand how to integrate their brand to the universal opportunity,” says Jon Myers, head of search at MediaVest.
His observation was confirmed in a recent Enquiro study undertaken to see how searchers interact with a blended universal page: it found that the historical eye view of the Google ‘golden triangle’ (top left corner focus) changes significantly as the eye is now drawn to the image-based content on the page.
Andrew Girdwood, head of search at Big Mouth Media, says, “Universal search and the PPC creative – that tiny text ad – have a slightly dysfunctional relationship. Google rewards the PPC creative that searchers click on often by increasing their quality score and therefore potentially lowering the advertiser’s minimum bid. At the very same time, engaging elements of universal search, such videos and images compete against the very same tiny text ads, reduce click through rates and potentially increase minimum bids.”
We can safely say universal search has already had an impact; how much of an impact is yet to be seen. But one thing is certain: B2B marketers must acknowledge universal search and will have an impact on their online presence.
Robert J. Murray, president of iProspect, perfectly summarises the challenge ahead. “B2B marketers should embrace universal search as it will create opportunity for them to participate in more exciting and creative search marketing initiatives. Ultimately, it could present a real opportunity for forward-thinking B2B marketers to separate their brands from all the clutter in today’s search results,” he says.
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