Google and Microsoft Strike Deals with Social Media Giants
In monumental shifts for the search engine industry, both Google and Microsoft have secured partnerships with Twitter. Additionally, Microsoft has brokered an agreement with Facebook, further embedding real-time social updates into Bing’s search results.
Marissa Mayer from Google commented, “Our users will benefit from real-time data. Tweets, offering current insights like ski resort conditions, will soon enhance our search results.”
The Changing Landscape of Search Results
While speculations arise regarding a potential Google-Facebook partnership, these existing deals underscore the necessity for marketers to enhance their visibility in real-time searches, especially on platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
Previously, murdok provided vital tips for gaining traction in real-time searches. The essence is to remain an active part of ongoing conversations on topics of current interest:
- Optimize with Keywords: Incorporate trending and relevant keywords.
- Engage in Current Events: Stay updated and discuss recent happenings.
- Expand your Follower Base: A greater audience boosts visibility.
- Encourage Discussions: Stimulate active conversations.
- Drive Engagement: Use compelling calls to action.
As murdok puts it, real-time search merely chronicles events in sequential order. Hence, maintaining conversations ensures immediate relevance.
Bing’s New Social Search Features
Bing’s beta tool lets users peruse tweets through their search engine. Paul Yiu from Bing’s Social Search team emphasized the feature’s significance: “Bing lets you monitor real-time conversations on current events, celebrities, or any trending topic.”
Highlights of Bing’s Twitter features as conveyed by a Microsoft representative include:
- A Live Tweet Index: This indexes relevant tweets, minimizing redundant, irrelevant, or inappropriate content.
- Customizable Ranking System: Users can organize tweets by recency or relevance, considering factors like tweet quality and the tweeter’s popularity.
- Highlighted Shared Links: Bing identifies the most shared Twitter links related to your search and offers context by displaying top tweets about those links. URL shorteners like bit.ly are automatically expanded for clarity.
Furthermore, some tweets now have a prime spot at the top of Bing’s search results, offering businesses a coveted position for visibility.
Google’s Embrace of Social Media in Search
Announced at the Web 2.0 Summit, Google’s new lab project integrates social media directly into its search results. Key takeaways, as reported by Ben Parr of Mashable, include:
- Blended Social Integration: Users will soon see their friends’ social media activities, like photos or status updates, at the bottom of their search results.
- Connected Social Networks: The integration is contingent on the number of social networks linked to a user’s Google Profile. More connections lead to richer search results.
- Enhanced Image Search: Social network data makes image search results more pertinent.
- Upcoming Google Labs Release: This feature is set to debut in the coming weeks.
The partnerships forged by Microsoft and Google spotlight the increasing importance of social media in marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). Historically, social media has played a pivotal role in content promotion, fostering discussions that indirectly influence search rankings. With direct integration of real-time updates, marketers can anticipate direct exposure in search results.
While Google remains a dominant force in the search engine landscape, ignoring Microsoft’s strategic partnerships is a misstep. Microsoft’s collaboration with Yahoo will soon interweave Bing’s results into Yahoo’s platform. Therefore, achieving visibility in real-time searches might soon translate to prominence across Bing, Yahoo, Twitter, and Facebook searches. This represents a significant portion of the non-Google U.S. search market.
Adding Google’s likely partnerships into the mix only amplifies the significance of real-time search and social media in contemporary marketing strategies.
Related Articles
