journalistopia.comJournalistopia – Danny Sanchez on digital media

Journalistopia Danny Sanchez on digital media New changes to Google News headline display in SERPs What you will learn in this post: What components make up a search engine results page (SERP) What determines how a SERP will appear and what information it will provide How your brand can leverage these SERP features to boost its local search optimization Not too long ago, a search engine’s sole purpose was to help users find a website or web page based on their inquiries. While this objective remains, search engines have become more advanced, more helpful, and more nuanced, to such a degree that search engine results pages (SERPs) themselves can offer plenty of information on their own via a number of features. Google’s SERP features make it so the user might not have to click into a website at all. Instead, all the information they need is right there on Google. Depending on the inquiry, one SERP may look a bit different from another. This is because SERPs are made up of multiple components or features that aim to give the user exactly what they are looking for as quickly as possible. Here we will break down the anatomy of the Google Local SERP, going over 21 different SERP features, their functions, and how they might be used to increase your brand’s overall and local visibility, read more on headless cms . 1. Paid Search Engine Result Anyone who has conducted a Google search is likely familiar with paid search engine results. This SERP feature allows businesses to advertise their website, local landing page, or other information at the top or bottom of the sponsored ad section. This can be done either via Google Ads or Google Shopping. Paid search engine results can be a powerful way to raise brand awareness. However, some users may actually ignore these links and instead seek organic results, as Google, in order to maintain consumer trust, makes it clear when a result is paid for. 2. Rich Results Rich snippets appear underneath a link, giving a brief burst of detailed information about what can be found on the web page. This SERP feature is a form of structured data, or formatted code that Google can easily read and include in search results. While normal snippets merely deliver text, rich snippets may include an image, ratings, and other eye-catching info. 3. Knowledge Graphs In 2012, Google introduced Knowledge Graphs to its platform. This feature attempts to connect simple user searches to a larger pool of information. When users conduct a search of a historical figure, large company, or location on desktop, they will often find a Knowledge Panel (see #11 in this list) on the right-hand side of the SERP that gives more detailed information about the subject, object, location, or event. The Knowledge Graph is the underlying algorithm that generates these Knowledge Panels and related results. 4. Universal Search (Blended Search, Enhanced Search) The early days of Google SERPs only offered its users a handful of links per page to navigate. Universal Search, on the other hand, makes for more dynamic and informative SERPs. SERPs may now include images, videos, maps, and news pieces all in one location. The various tabs for these other types of results still exist, but Universal Search makes it easier for users to find different forms of content. Author Danny Sanchez Posted on December 31, 2013 July 22, 2022 Categories search engines Google poised to bite local publisher classified revenue Leaders at newspaper sites like to set their crosshairs on Craigslist for the evaporation of classified revenue they experienced, but it is actually Google that is poised to take a big bite out of what’s left of that revenue. First, let’s take a look at what Google is already doing today. Google has increasingly altered its design to top its search results pages with proprietary widgets where users can see flight times, hotels and more. For example, this is what Google displays on a search for flights Miami to New York”: 4k android tv box is coming soon? Suddenly, online travel sites that enjoyed top positioning in Google’s results were relegated to the lower half of the results page. Now, the only way to crack the first page scroll on hotel and flight searches is to pay up either via Google’s widget or via AdWords. On Monday, Google announced a new local shopping portal , which will allow consumers to shop from nearby stores. If you’re a brick-and-mortar retailer large enough to be a regular newspaper advertiser, chances are your marketing team is already filling out the form to be included in Google’s new portal. (Image via Google ) Back in March, Google launched a pilot car shopping service  in San Francisco without much fanfare outside the automotive industry but with potentially big consequences for how dealers’ advertising budgets are divvied up. A search for Toyota Camry San Francisco” yields a proprietary widget that generates sponsored leads for local dealerships: Google is also selling concert tickets, car rentals , music, movies, magazines and electronics . If we look into our crystal balls, we don’t have to squint to envision search engines making plays with proprietary services and search page widgets for: -Real estate listings -Apartment and home rentals -Job postings -Boats -Trades and services -Local e-coupons (through its local retailer program and as an offshoot of Google Offers ) -Obituaries (Ok, that one’s a stretch. Or is it?) Google’s incentives for continuing on this course seem twofold: to provide an improved search experience with fewer clicks but also to grab a larger share of advertising dollars that are unavailable via its already lucrative contextual text ad business. As search guru Danny Sullivan recently pointed out , no online commercial activity is safe from Google grabbing a piece of the action, and the search engine has been increasingly aggressive about filling its results pages with sponsored units. Google is best known for being strong in the search and mobile advertising categories, but classifieds and lead generation still account for 6% and 4% respectively of digital advertising revenues, a sum of about $2.14 billion, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s half-year report released yesterday . Additionally, with the advent of Google semantic search â€Â a technology that attaches greater meaning to data â€Â Google will be better able to understand the intent of users’ queries and provide them with custom monetizable widgets. More on this in an upcoming post, but in the meantime, check out David Amerland’s excellent book on Google semantic search . So how can publishers and e-commerce sites independent of Google remain competitive? 1) Provide a superior user experience to what Google provides via a widget.  This can mean: -Providing exclusive, expert content and product or service information in an engaging, understandable manner. For examples, see product descriptions on sites such as Woot and Groupon . -Growing a community of users who provide product insight and recommendations. For examples, see the message boards on sites such as Amazon and, again, Woot . -Allowing users to get product information and make transactions in as few clicks as possible. -Providing an attractive layout that quickly maximizes user comprehension. -Focusing intensely on site performance, ensuring the site loads as quickly as possible. -Offering smartphone apps that don’t fall short on features and product offerings. 2) Establish strong brands and market directly to consumers in a way that encourages users to bypass Google and come directly to a site or smartphone app. If users establish brand loyalty to a particular site, that means the next time they go to look for a job, they will instead search for your site or fire up your smartphone job search app rather than try their luck at a Google search such as advertising jobs.” 3) Wear your customer service on your sleeve. While Google is highly effective at many things, personal...