Google has been pushing the limits with the usability and search ability of data right from its inception. It has unarguably the best search engine, and it knows how to use the data. The recent introduction of Google Now and the sequential development of the Knowledge graph are the latest examples of how Google is making the content search for your needs rather the other way around. The examples are many, but their impacts on those who have stakes in being visible on the internet are even more interesting.
Google Now and Knowledge Graph
These have been around for quite some time, and they have been able to deliver what they are supposed to. Let’s start at Knowledge graph.
Knowledge Graph
As the name suggests, Knowledge graph is the collection of relevant content from the internet regarding a search query. Suppose you search the Google ‘aspirin’. The first link is usually the Wikipedia page. But, if you just need a brief description, Google will produce a small box on the right which would display the first few lines from the Wiki page (or from some other source). Same goes for search query on a movie. It would show a strip for movies which are in the same genre. And name of celebrities, popular material, almost anything comes up in the knowledge graph.
Google Now
Google Now comes integrated with Google Search for Android devices. It is a virtual assistance, and is a remarkable leap over iOS’s Siri. Google Now, knows what you need now, and displays the ‘cards’ with the information which you need. Suppose, you drive from your home to your office every day, stay there for 8 hours or so and return home. Without you telling it, Google Now identifies which place is your home and which is your office. And before you know it, just before you leave for the office next morning, it would pull out the traffic stats for you. Same goes for the flight you are supposed to fly on.
How do these affect your business?
The local businesses have the most gain from this content oriented technology. Suppose someone is using Google Now to look for a place to eat, your restaurant should show up in the search results if the person is in the vicinity. Same goes for hotels and other such services. Hence, having a website and optimizing your websites with local online marketing strategies is very important.
What Google is doing with data is amazing. The visualization of so much of data has amazing impact and Google is making sure that everyone gets that feel. To make sure that your data shows up in the Google’s visualizations, ensure that you have marked up your information as completely as possible. Use this shift of content searching the user rather than the other way around as strongly as you can.
LogicSpeak:
The move towards semantic search now requires providing schema.org markup to increase the chances of your content visibility in search engines. The search result thing is now moving slowly towards the Knowledge Graph thing wherein each result would be more personalized.
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