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What Does Google Real-Time Search Really Mean?

January 14, 2010 By Craig Greenfield
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Google recently launched a real-time search results feature. The feature incorporates tweets, Yahoo Answers questions and answers, and other breaking blog/website content in a box that automatically updates in real time on the search engine results page (SERP).

Users don't see real-time results for all queries. There’s a threshold of chatter that needs to be met before Google displays the real-time search box. It usually appears for breaking news content; celebrity searches; and searches for large brand names such as Coke, Wal-Mart and Comcast that consumers are chatting about on Twitter.

The feature comes on the heels of the Google/Twitter deal, where Twitter provides Google with a live content feed. Google also has inked deals with Facebook and MySpace, and users should expect to see Facebook status updates/MySpace messages in the real-time search box in the near future.

What real-time search means for marketers
It’s been estimated that 40 percent of searches have a real-time component, which makes real-time search a multibillion-dollar per year industry. Twitter and Google also may seek to monetize real-time search with promotional ads within tweets on the Google SERP or paid search advertising on Twitter Search.

Positive and negative chatter about a brand was formerly confined to the social network. Now, Google real-time search — assuming there’s enough chatter to trigger the real-time box — amplifies consumer opinions by bringing them directly to the SERP. Thus, real-time search can potentially turn into a real-time brand gripe engine. This makes managing brand reputation on social sites more important than ever.

Marketers should take the following four key steps to harness the power, and prowess, of real-time search:

1. Control your brand’s Twitter handles, Facebook vanity URL and tweet/post status updates regularly to keep your brand message on the social sites in check.

2. Use social listening tools to seek out and respond to negative chatter. React quickly to customer service/brand reputation issues before they explode into massive negative conversations that can now spread to the SERP.

3. Use social listening tools to seek out brand influencers/evangelists. Reach out to influencers, and incentivize them to continue spreading the good word about your brand.

4. Start positive brand conversations on social networks. Why? Because real-time search provides marketers with more SERP real estate to dominate. A brand’s native site can achieve two search results per query in the natural listings, leaving eight first-page results — in addition to news, images, maps, etc. — open to listings the brand doesn’t own.

Balancing real-time with relevancy
Google’s real-time search presents a host of opportunities for marketers, yet it could be better balanced with relevancy for a more effective consumer experience.

Many real-time search results are meaningless, irrelevant chatter or spam. Other real-time results are valuable breaking news and updates. Most consumers don’t generally want to see the latest thing that happened; they want to see the latest relevant thing that happened. Google is likely working to find a better way to find this essential balance.

Google’s real-time search presents a number of opportunities for marketers. Care to discuss ways your brand can benefit? Post a comment here.

Craig Greenfield is the vice president of search and performance media for Chicago-based Performics, the performance marketing division of the Publicis Groupe’s VivaKi Nerve Center. Reach Craig at craig.greenfield@performics.com.


 

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COMMENTS

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Most Recent Comments:
Grant Perry - Posted on January 15, 2010
Jeff, I believe the big difference is less reliance on CTR for search rankings. Historically results have often showed very popular pages that are often out of date. They can still be relevant of course and finding the balance will be tricky...
Jeff Molander - Posted on January 14, 2010
Greg...
You said... "It’s been estimated that 40 percent of searches have a real-time component, which makes real-time search a multibillion-dollar per year industry."

Are you suggesting that people search without wanting information to be served back to them in real time by the search engine -- or that they somehow expect the information they get later on? I find the premise to be illogical.

Also, since search is (and has always been) real time, search is ALREADY a real-time brand gripe engine. What's new? We've always had these hate/ripoff sites in the SERPs like the ever-popular ripoff-report.com.

You promised to tell us what real time search means to marketers. But we seem to already understand these things (as they already exist -- Google is simply injecting more from somewhere else). In making this promise (setting this expectation) you twice say, "Google’s real-time search presents a host of opportunities for marketers" but do not give any.

Please consider giving some next time? It was a bit disappointing. Understanding what the opportunities are would go a long way toward spurring marketers to take the actions that you point to... and would deliver on your title's promise -- understanding what it really means.

I, personally, see no opportunity here... yet. And if there is one I'm sure Google will find a way to monetize it.





Craig Greenfield - Posted on January 16, 2010
Facebook reports 350 million active users (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics). Mashable reports 18 million Twitter users (http://mashable.com/2009/09/14/twitter-2009-stats/). Ad campaigns have changed quite a bit in size and scope and, today, consumer sentiment directs much of many brands’ actions.

As Grant points out, the term real time search reflects Google’s real time indexing of social chatter; not the time frame in which a searcher expects to have results served back to them. Hopefully that helps to clarify the column for you. Google wants to continue to be the authoritative source of content for searchers; indexing social content lessens the likelihood that consumers will instead choose to visit Twitter Search or some other form of up to the minute indexed content.

However you examine the issue, brands that ignore the challenges and leave the tangible opportunities of real-time search on the table simply relinquish control of their brands to the masses. Furthermore, they do nothing to identify and respond to positive and negative consumer commentary. In an industry striving to get ever closer to one-to-one communications with customers, the most successful brand managers won't willingly turn their backs on consumers actively discussing those brands.
Click here to view archived comments...
Archived Comments:
Grant Perry - Posted on January 15, 2010
Jeff, I believe the big difference is less reliance on CTR for search rankings. Historically results have often showed very popular pages that are often out of date. They can still be relevant of course and finding the balance will be tricky...
Jeff Molander - Posted on January 14, 2010
Greg...
You said... "It’s been estimated that 40 percent of searches have a real-time component, which makes real-time search a multibillion-dollar per year industry."

Are you suggesting that people search without wanting information to be served back to them in real time by the search engine -- or that they somehow expect the information they get later on? I find the premise to be illogical.

Also, since search is (and has always been) real time, search is ALREADY a real-time brand gripe engine. What's new? We've always had these hate/ripoff sites in the SERPs like the ever-popular ripoff-report.com.

You promised to tell us what real time search means to marketers. But we seem to already understand these things (as they already exist -- Google is simply injecting more from somewhere else). In making this promise (setting this expectation) you twice say, "Google’s real-time search presents a host of opportunities for marketers" but do not give any.

Please consider giving some next time? It was a bit disappointing. Understanding what the opportunities are would go a long way toward spurring marketers to take the actions that you point to... and would deliver on your title's promise -- understanding what it really means.

I, personally, see no opportunity here... yet. And if there is one I'm sure Google will find a way to monetize it.





Craig Greenfield - Posted on January 16, 2010
Facebook reports 350 million active users (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics). Mashable reports 18 million Twitter users (http://mashable.com/2009/09/14/twitter-2009-stats/). Ad campaigns have changed quite a bit in size and scope and, today, consumer sentiment directs much of many brands’ actions.

As Grant points out, the term real time search reflects Google’s real time indexing of social chatter; not the time frame in which a searcher expects to have results served back to them. Hopefully that helps to clarify the column for you. Google wants to continue to be the authoritative source of content for searchers; indexing social content lessens the likelihood that consumers will instead choose to visit Twitter Search or some other form of up to the minute indexed content.

However you examine the issue, brands that ignore the challenges and leave the tangible opportunities of real-time search on the table simply relinquish control of their brands to the masses. Furthermore, they do nothing to identify and respond to positive and negative consumer commentary. In an industry striving to get ever closer to one-to-one communications with customers, the most successful brand managers won't willingly turn their backs on consumers actively discussing those brands.