Real-Time Search = Real-Time Opportunity

0 Comment(s) | Posted Dec 8, 2009 by Pat Morrell

Patrick Morrell

Concurrent with its unveiling of an image-based search capability, Google also announced the launch of "real-time search" for all text-based searches.  Available to all Google users within the coming days, all searches will soon yield newly (and immediately) updated web content (ex: a just-published blog post) in addition to the static yet popular content which traditionally pops up in a Google search.  And with a newly-signed agreement with Facebook and Twitter, Google will stream pertinent social network updates into its search results as well. 

For example, were you to run a search for "Nike," Nike.com would still be at the top of the list, but you would also see (potential) the latest Twitter conversation on Nike, a Facebook conversation on the Nike fanpage, and a recent blogpost from Nikefan.com.

So what does this mean for small businesses?

Primarily, it reinforces the now-accepted notion that significant social media investment is important.  Beyond engaging with your customers and marketing in a way that is significantly more effective than through traditional print media or mere online ads, your social media engagements could promote your brand well beyond the bounds of Facebook or Twitter.  

Furthermore, if you own a business that thrives on real-time engagement (ex: a restaurant with daily meal deals), your announcements can become part of a more active search community.  Google's algorithm is now pulling search results according to time/date posted and location in addition to relevancy and popularity, meaning the more active your presence, the greater the potential for your most timely posts to pop up in a real-time search result.

Google's real-time search will reward those with an active online presence.  Will your business be at the top of the list?

Filed under: Online Communities, Twitter-related