For example, on Twitter and Facebook a user’s search will constantly be updated with new results that are being posted right at that moment, even after the original search term was entered.
Google’s new search is not as current as those seen on social networking sites, but is certainly heading in that direction with these new additions.
Jason West, chief executive of SEO consultancy Websalad, says that real-time search is all about improving usability.
“Google is trying to make information more relevant. It’s time based. The assumption is that therefore they’re tying relevancy to time and to currency,” he says.
There are a few major reasons why these changes may give businesses a chance to improve their presence on the web.
The first is reputation management, says Chris Thomas, SmartCompany blogger and director of search-engine optimisation firm Reseo.
He says the new ability in Google to search for items posted about them in the last 24 hours can help companies keep on top of what is being said about them.
“While searching, if you saw something bad in a forum, you could post in there and fix things up straight away. It’s good from a reputation point of view to know what people are writing about your business,” he says.
Thomas says this is one area where SMEs will need to lift their game in the next 12 months. Using tools such as Facebook and Twitter, consumers can interact with companies publically and instantly. Feedback, both good and bad alike, can now have an impact on a business even faster than ever before
“If you’re after current information, this is the best way about finding what is relevant,” Thomas says. “This is the real future of search.”
Jim Stewart, chief executive of SEO firm StewartMedia, says another reason businesses should pay attention to these changes is for research purposes.
“Especially in the new changes, Google is giving info on the sorts of things people are looking for. The ‘Wonder wheel’ can give you insight into the things people associate with your business,” he says.
“They need to start looking at the phrases Google is using, and then use those in their own copy. Are you using your keywords in your descriptions and titles to make sure you’re displayed? If so, often you’ll be displayed above the rest of the results.”
Of course, the ability to refine searches to look at the last week or the last 24 hours will present a big problem for many businesses – if you haven’t updated your site in that period, your Google ranking is going to slip.
Jason West says businesses need to do more to keep up with the pace of the web. Simply building a website and leaving it alone for years is no longer acceptable, and will soon be a sure-fire way to ruin your business’s reputation on the internet.
“If companies want to be more prominent, they have to interact more frequently, which really brings into line the whole aspect of social media,” he says.
“It’s all about being relevant. It’s about being current and out there. Businesses need to be regularly updating their website and have to implement systems that enable them to remain current.”
Stewart says that now more than ever, “businesses need to make sure they’re updating on a regular basis. That will depend on your niche, but as a general rule they need to update constantly.”
It is also worth remembering that the new search functions come a few months after Google made changes to its search algorithm to reward sites with more comprehensive content, as opposed to sites with bare-bones descriptions.
Chris Thomas says sites with lots of strong content will be rewarded under the new changes, while sites that have been abandoned and used just as a placeholder for basic information, like a phone number and address, will suffer.
“What Google did was put a link in called ‘more text’. I’ve typed in ‘recipes’ to Google, and with ‘more text’ it’ll pull more data and snippets out, it’ll give more information in the previews. That’s what it’s doing.”
Not everyone is impressed with the changes. Jasmine Batra, chief executive of Arrow Internet Marketing, says that the changes may appeal to more sophisticated users, but won’t make a difference for day-to-day users.
“I don’t think it is good. I just think from a Google standpoint, it is good to position them as a market leader, but I think the technology is not that important,” she says.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
