A4U Expo EuropeMünchen 2010

Bas van den Beld

The changing SERPS and what to do with them

Who am I?

One sheet about me• NetTraject

• Search & social strategy expert, blogger, trainer, speaker

• Radioshow

• Founder Searchcowboys

• Founder Stateofsearch.com

• International blogger

The SERPS are changing

How do we handle these changes?

What is a “SERP”?

Search Engine Results Page

What are we going to talk about?

• Understanding search engines• A look at the changes• Strategies on how to handle the changes

Extra:• Some specific tips• Q&A

To understand the changes…

You must understand how the search engines “think”

If others say its good, they believe it

Search engines are like humans

Therefore links matter…

How do search engines think?

Search Engines are trying to understand what the user really wants

User intent

How do search engines think?

Hand out the information as fast as you can

We live in a Google World

Google dominates Europe

95%

97% 95%

97%97%94%90%94%

97%97%

96% 97%

97%

95% 99%98% 95%

59%

98%

More than Google?

2nd largest search engine?

Another one…

2nd largest search engine?

Guess who owns YouTube…

Guess who integrates YouTube…

Focus on Google

Let’s take a look at the SERPS

1,8 + 1

How do users respond to this?

Users look at a page for max 1,8 second

Users only take 1 look

How do users respond to this?

Top results are important

Google is changing

Google is looking at the user

Google is changing

User intent

There was the design change

Google is changing

And its not about the films

Universal SearchSearch results pages now include• Video• Images• PR/News Releases• Maps/Local Search• Products• Books• Finance

… AND MORE

Let’s take a good look at the changes

NL

Research shows: images attract attention

Google is changing

Google is changingImage search

Google is not always right…

Video is becoming more important

Google is changing

Google responses to location

Google is changing

Local - Places

Newsrelated articles can change in the top of the SERPS

The placement of the News results can change, based on relevance

Google is changing

Users are tempted to use the suggestions

Suggestions are based on number of searches

Google is changing

Results from your friends in your ‘social circle’

Google is changing

All elements are shown within the SERPS

Google is changing

Changes in responses

Other results are getting more attention

More changes

“Realtime” becoming more important

More changes

Realtime going to specific places

Personalized Search

More changes

Rankings might change from one person to another!

Personalized search

Personalized search

They are spending more time on the Google pages

A little trick

Cd=1

Google’s redesign

Google’s extra sidebar

Time differences

Social or not

Different types

Already visited pages

Google’s extra sidebar

Sizes

Types

In images other options

Colors

What does that mean for response?

What does that mean for response?

Source: http://www.explido-webmarketing.de

What does that mean for response?

Source: http://www.explido-webmarketing.de

Shopping results

Music

Playing songs in the results

Brands

Vince Update: Brands

Not all is good for Brands

Not all is good for Brands

Not all is good for Brands

Search in search

Local results

Mobile

Mobile is not the future, its here already

Mobile Universal

Mobile Suggest

Google Goggles

We have to change with the SERPS

Changing the way you think is hard but important

We have to change with the SERPS

Don’t change and you will be lonely…

We have to change with the SERPS

Dare to look in different directions

We have to change with the SERPS

Dare to step away from your site

We have to change with the SERPS

Listen to your audience

We have to change with the SERPS

Communicate with your potential visitor

Communicate at their place

We have to change with the SERPSMake sure it fits both you and your target audience

Go where your visitors go, but only if it fits

We have to change with the SERPS

Twitter is not sacred but handy

But Twitter is being indexed by the engines…

We have to change with the SERPS

Use YouTube

We have to change with the SERPS

Use images, both on and off your site

They will recognize you

We have to change with the SERPS

Blogs are well indexed and found

Get in touch with 'influentials'

If they talk about you they will find you

Use bloggers

The Sony example

New LCD TV launched, pre-informed bloggers

The Sony example

Optimized video’s

The Sony example

At the launch they dominated the SERPS

But I’m an affiliate, not Sony!

Can Affiliates do this?

The affiliate way

Be creative

Think outside of the box

Dominate the results

Next Steps?

Be creative

Listen to your audience

Look outside your own siteLook what fits you

Dominate the SERPS!!

TipCheck what Tom Critchlow said on Universal Search

Questions?

www.stateofsearch.comwww.basvandenbeld.comwww.nettraject.nl

twitter.com/basvandenbeldlinkedin.com/basvandenbeld

Thanks to @jondmyers for some of the examples

Image optimisation

• Ensure image has keyword relevant name or it is game over at the start

• Include Alt Attribute (alt=“keywords”) – bit dated but works!

• Use a title/headline by your image• If possible, place it on separate page • Inbound links are always a good option • Include relevant text to surround it• Use dashes rather than underscores in multiword

images names – seems to work! Source: @jondmyers

Local optimisation• Can appear in first position pushing almost all results below fold• Submission to Google Local Business (Places) is a must

– Use unique phone number as identifier– If you have Multiple Locations use a bulk upload sheet or XML

Feed– Use Tracked URL on the Ad

• Don't forget SEO of content as well!– Think Local optimise keywords to include location including on

Tags image, Page and within URL– Get local links to local pages with related locality anchor text– Ensure high degree of relevancy in all submissions of content for

localSource: @jondmyers

Shopping optimisation

• Utilise standard on page optimisation techniques• Construct feeds in XML (Google needs data feeds for Google

Products to work)– Inclusion within 24 hours– Listings only Live for 30 days– Resubmit maybe once per week in bulk

• Detail descriptions a big positive• Make sure the images are high quality• So how does Google Products work?

Source: @jondmyers

News optimisation

News Optimisation

• Craft using standard SEO techniques• Ensure newsworthy• Write for it to be posted and picked up by authority sites• Very powerful SEO for large content sites such as Newspaper

Groups– Sites Crawled every 5 mins for content – Pick and promote against buzz search from archives and

submit to Google News– In News index within 15 mins

• Leverage the tie 1 wires to be picked up by Reuters etc• And finally……submit to Google News! Source: @jondmyers

Video developments

• Google has opened their APIs to also include specific sitemaps for videos

• It’s no longer just restricted to just YouTube and Google Videos in the SERPs

• Can get your video (that’s hosted on your site) included in SERPs

• Includes thumbnail of video • YouTube is creating a Video Site search to leverage being

Number 2 Search Engine• Can choose to display content against specific brand

channels and sites Source: @jondmyers