Search Engines

Google recently switched on encrypted search by default for any user logged in to a Google Account (Gmail, Picasa, Google+ Google Analytics, etc.). Google’s objective in doing so is to better safeguard the privacy of its users as they perform searches on Google. With encrypted search activated, search queries and search traffic is encrypted (using the industry standard SSL protocol) to prevent eavesdropping from intermediary parties that might have access to a user’s network. Essentially, this feature prevents others from seeing what keywords are being searched for when the searcher is logged in to a Google Account.

Today, for users who’ve received the update, logging in to their Google account will automatically flip them over to the secure version of Google.com (https://www.google.com – note the extra “s”) when performing a Google Web search. While this can be perceived as a positive step towards increased privacy, the key ramification of this, which impacts marketers directly, is that the keyword search terms which refer a logged in searcher to any website is removed by Google. This directly impacts our ability to understand what content resonates with the search audience and how effectively searchers are converting from search.

Google has proclaimed that this privacy measure will only impact 10% or less of search traffic, but as we take a deeper look into the change, this number appears to be an overly conservative estimate. Furthermore, as Google continues to promote its Google+ service, which revolves around users being actively authenticated, we could see the impact grow even further.

Ironically, Google has exempted Adwords search marketing ads from having this valuable keyword data obfuscated to marketers. How this double standard reconciles itself with the spirit of privacy under which this change was brought about is anyone’s guess.

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Google recently began testing a drastic change to the way it displays sitelinks within the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).Though the search juggernaut has modestly referred to the update as “new and improved” and “expanded and improved,” the most recent look is nothing less than extreme.

Sitelinks – the shortcuts to interior pages of your site created by Google in an automated fashion using proprietary algorithms — have gone through at least half a dozen changes since they were first introduced nearly five years ago, but none of these have been as drastic as the most recent change.

There are many changes to the anatomy of the sitelinks, the first being the sheer number, which Google has expanded from eight to 12 (although groups of two, four and eight are also returned). Google has also added a snippet of text averaging 30 characters and changed the font color of the URL to green (an update that was first tested in 2006). This change in particular makes the sitelinks look more similar to natural search results.

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Today, Google announced the launch of the +1 button for websites, a feature that enables site visitors to “+1″ content directly from pages themselves (vs. within Google search results). The news comes on the heels of Twitter’s announcement of its own button for websites, and signifies larger trend of social platforms integrating more closely with publishers’ digital destinations.

Mashable has already implemented the +1 button on each of its posts.

While the news might cause some marketers to wonder why they should add yet another button to their websites, the Google +1 has added weight as it ties back to natural search rankings. Long story short, brands can’t risk being left behind in the Google natural results, and the +1 button will allow them to capture the natural relevance they deserve. Webmasters can get started immediately.

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Microsoft is deepening its Facebook integration with Bing by powering results with more social factors that will help “fuel faster decisions.” This announcement follows close behind Google’s +1 unveiling last month, which presents the engine’s answer to socializing the search experience.

Bing’s latest update will provide more results that include “endorsements” from a searcher’s Facebook friends (via Like data), a new Facebook tab within the Bing toolbar (for easier Liking, commenting and sharing) and results that tap into Facebook’s entire social fabric – beyond a searcher’s own circle of friends. Bing’s integration of search technology with Facebook’s social data directly impacts natural search rankings, as these socialized results will achieve greater premium visibility in search.

Bing’s “Collective IQ”: One component of this update that differentiates Bing’s social integration from that of rival Google is the inclusion of Facebook’s social data without requiring searchers to log in and sync their Facebook account prior to searching. Certain search results Liked by the greater Facebook user base will be pushed to the top of results. We expect such “socially popular” results to offer much greater click-through appeal given this additional qualifier of relevance.

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Google is making a concerted effort to socialize its roster of products, as evidenced by a new incentive program for all employees who innovate in this area — no matter what product team they claim (this according to a recent leaked memo from CEO Larry Page).

The Google Places product team seems especially motivated in this mission. Over the last few weeks, several social elements have been integrated into Google Places:

• Google hotpot’s recommendation engine for Google Places
• Latitude’s social check-in and loyalty status program for Google Places
• Popular products are available at specific Google Places

The developments come on the heels of the announcement of Google +1, which incorporates more social data into its natural algorithm while displaying more information to users who are logged in. But while +1 might have some connections with Google Places and the aligned brand URL of a Places page, those specific Google Places are scored with ratings and review data, not +1 accumulations.

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Last week Google launched Recipe View, a brand new search setting that allows people to narrow recipe-related searches using a set of filters including recipe type, ingredients and calories per serving. Mirroring the look and feel of other universal search results found at the left-hand menu of the engine (News, Video, Shopping, etc.), Recipe View uses data from rich snippets markup to incorporate an image of the recipe, cook time and reviews into the search result. For example, someone searching “blueberry pie” within Recipe View would be served with these results.

Recipe View allows users to narrow results to only recipe-related content.

This enhancement is exciting news for CPG brands that integrate recipes into their marketing efforts, as the new setting provides another channel through which consumers can find recipes that feature their products.

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Google has announced significant updates to its Social Search offering that continue to socialize and diversify the content within its results pages. These changes, which build on Google’s previous version of Social Search, increase the visibility of social results and add a personalized layer atop the engine’s much-guarded algorithm. As Google puts it, “Relevance isn’t just about pages – it’s also about relationships.”

Back in October, Bing partnered with Facebook to infuse data from the world’s largest social network in its results. While Google’s new update does not bring in Facebook data, it does have significant ramifications on how marketers approach their search engine marketing efforts [Further reading: 360i’s Report on How the Social Landscape Will Change Search].

Social annotations are now more prominent within Google’s results.

Of important note is that social relevance now directly affects results rankings within Google, meaning that a social endorsement of a particular result (i.e. a friend tweeting an article) can propel it higher up in the rankings. Before these updates, Google automatically relegated all social results to the bottom of the page.

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