Google has recently made some bold moves that all online marketers should be responding to. In determining what type of online content is most relevant to any search query, they have changed their search algorithms to place a greater emphasis on original social content.
Search is what drives the web, and Google is by far the leader. But with Facebook (a place Google can’t access) now in partnership with competitors Bing and Yahoo, it had to make adjustments to maintain its dominance. Their solution is to aggressively index what is available outside of the Facebook universe, with blogs, Twitter, and YouTube as leading sources.
Jeff Korhan of Social Media Examiner has neatly summarized the three practices that businesses must undertake to maximize relevance for social search.
Create fresh and original content
Strive for originality and provide a unique perspective. Regularly engage with your community to learn and discover unsolved problems and provide solutions.
Share to build social context
As your messaging or content on the social web is shared, it gathers context and builds nodal relationships that tell a story. By understanding this, you can more effectively enhance your social graph by creating useful content that favorably represents who you are and what you do best with your expertise. A powerful step you can take to help Google find all of your social content is to establish or update your Google Profile. Their new Google Profile interface makes it easy for you to ” Decide what the world sees when it searches for you.” Another important reason for maintaining a Google Profile is that it’s required to use the new Google +1 button — Google’s answer to the Facebook Like button. It’s a vote of confidence that adds more social context to your original content. You can start using it now by going here.
Use location and time to enhance relevance
Claim your business on Google and Facebook Places, and turn on Twitter Location. Use real-time networks such as Twitter to keep your content fresh for Google and your community.Thank you Google!