[Hot] Google's Three Fundamental Shifts: The Future of Search
Last week we reported on Google's 20th birthday, a celebration of the search engine and the company's other supporting products, eight total, which are used by more than a billion people worldwide.
Never mind that the celebration seemed a tad like that social media friend "who turns the feed into a...birthday bonanza that goes on for days." Beyond Google's own self-congratulatory celebrations, there's good reason to celebrate the singular search engine that offers so many of us so much information.
It was exciting, then, to see Google announce a vision for the next twenty years. As part of its 20th birthday celebration, Google announced "three fundamental shifts" in the search engine's philosophy.
These shifts support Google's "core principles," as stated by Ben Gomes, the VP of Search, News, and Assistant, to:
How will Google improve search for the next twenty years?
Below we take a preliminary look at the new, exciting frontier of search and SEO.
Read: "Improving Search for the Next 20 Years"
From Answers to Journeys
To help you resume tasks where you left off and learn new interests and hobbies, we’re bringing new features to Search that help you with ongoing information needs.
This shift, as Search Engine Land notes, is a response to the idea, first determined by Microsoft years ago, that search is not "a one-off behavior." We search, and search, and search some more--like a journey.
To facilitate a seamless "journey," Google will now offer "activity cards," to reveal "where you left off"--essentially previous searches as well as the sites and pages you recently visited.
Google is also offering a new version of its "collections" feature, which will be tied to the activity cards. Essentially, users will be able to curate collections by adding content from the activity cards.
These additions may not have an immediate impact on SEO, per say, but they do indicate an increasing emphasis on structured data, the new coding scheme. Schema allows webmasters to create a shared vocabulary that webmasters can use to help search engines "understand the information on web pages and provide richer search results" (Source).
From Queries to Providing a Queryless Way to get to Information
We can surface relevant information related to your interests, even when you don’t have a specific query in mind.
Google is introducing this feature as an upgraded version of its feed tool (which you may or not know about). The new tool, Google Discover, will function much like a feed, surfacing "relevant content to you, even when you’re not searching."
This tool, which will be a part of the mobile experience, allows users to customize feed experience by choosing more or less content on any given topic.
Essentially, Google will surface information based on your search history, offering new possibilities you may not have explored before.
Again, the effect this shift may have on SEO is unclear, though it does reinforce Google's eternal emphasis on quality content that speaks to specific topics.
From Text to a More Visual Way of Finding Information
We’re bringing more visual content to Search and completely redesigning Google Images to help you find information more easily.
Taking a cue from Pinterest and other visually-based sites, Google is attempting to "make visual content more useful in search."
AS Google notes: "People coming to Google Images today are looking to find information, or for help doing something—not just to see an image."
This shift, which means that images and videos will have a greater role in search results, means that companies should strive to provide unique visual content that is clearly defined with appropriate keywords and tags.
Read: SEO 101: "How to Optimize Images for Search"
An SEO Company That Knows the Importance of Change: Stepman's SEO
To build an effective, fully-optimized website, you need a web development company that understands the evolving nature of SEO. Stepman's SEO is the rare company that offers a host of SEO and marketing professionals to optimize your website for today and tomorrow.
Call Stepman's SEO today to learn how you can improve your website's performance: 215-900-9398.
Never mind that the celebration seemed a tad like that social media friend "who turns the feed into a...birthday bonanza that goes on for days." Beyond Google's own self-congratulatory celebrations, there's good reason to celebrate the singular search engine that offers so many of us so much information.
It was exciting, then, to see Google announce a vision for the next twenty years. As part of its 20th birthday celebration, Google announced "three fundamental shifts" in the search engine's philosophy.
These shifts support Google's "core principles," as stated by Ben Gomes, the VP of Search, News, and Assistant, to:
- Focus on the user
- Offer the most relevant, high quality information
- Work through an algorithmic approach
- Rigorously test every change
How will Google improve search for the next twenty years?
Below we take a preliminary look at the new, exciting frontier of search and SEO.
Read: "Improving Search for the Next 20 Years"
 |
| On the occasion of its 20th birthday, Google announced "three fundamental shifts" |
Google's Three Fundamental Shifts
From Answers to Journeys
To help you resume tasks where you left off and learn new interests and hobbies, we’re bringing new features to Search that help you with ongoing information needs.
This shift, as Search Engine Land notes, is a response to the idea, first determined by Microsoft years ago, that search is not "a one-off behavior." We search, and search, and search some more--like a journey.
To facilitate a seamless "journey," Google will now offer "activity cards," to reveal "where you left off"--essentially previous searches as well as the sites and pages you recently visited.
Google is also offering a new version of its "collections" feature, which will be tied to the activity cards. Essentially, users will be able to curate collections by adding content from the activity cards.
These additions may not have an immediate impact on SEO, per say, but they do indicate an increasing emphasis on structured data, the new coding scheme. Schema allows webmasters to create a shared vocabulary that webmasters can use to help search engines "understand the information on web pages and provide richer search results" (Source).
From Queries to Providing a Queryless Way to get to Information
We can surface relevant information related to your interests, even when you don’t have a specific query in mind.
Google is introducing this feature as an upgraded version of its feed tool (which you may or not know about). The new tool, Google Discover, will function much like a feed, surfacing "relevant content to you, even when you’re not searching."
This tool, which will be a part of the mobile experience, allows users to customize feed experience by choosing more or less content on any given topic.
Essentially, Google will surface information based on your search history, offering new possibilities you may not have explored before.
Again, the effect this shift may have on SEO is unclear, though it does reinforce Google's eternal emphasis on quality content that speaks to specific topics.
From Text to a More Visual Way of Finding Information
We’re bringing more visual content to Search and completely redesigning Google Images to help you find information more easily.
Taking a cue from Pinterest and other visually-based sites, Google is attempting to "make visual content more useful in search."
AS Google notes: "People coming to Google Images today are looking to find information, or for help doing something—not just to see an image."
This shift, which means that images and videos will have a greater role in search results, means that companies should strive to provide unique visual content that is clearly defined with appropriate keywords and tags.
Read: SEO 101: "How to Optimize Images for Search"
An SEO Company That Knows the Importance of Change: Stepman's SEO
To build an effective, fully-optimized website, you need a web development company that understands the evolving nature of SEO. Stepman's SEO is the rare company that offers a host of SEO and marketing professionals to optimize your website for today and tomorrow.
Call Stepman's SEO today to learn how you can improve your website's performance: 215-900-9398.