Google has recently been making a huge marketing push for Google Now. I’ve seen TV ads appearing on primetime shows, banners and billboards across downtowns of major cities, and even taxicab advertisements in Times Square of New York City. One thing’s certain: Google is serious about its app. So, should business owners and marketers get serious about it, too? If you haven’t installed Google Now, you can do so at the App Store or at Google Play.
If you’re not yet familiar with Google Now or what the app actually does, here’s a brief rundown: Introduced in 2012, Google Now can essentially be described as part personal digital assistant, part mind reader. Available for Android, iOS and your desktop (and of course Google Glass and Google Watch), the app is a serious competitor for Apple ’s Siri.
However Google Now differs from Siri in one key way: It provides personalized information served up via ‘cards’: weather, traffic, flights, appointments, ordered packages, etc. And the information contained on these cards is gleaned from various sources including the user’s Gmail account, location and previous search history. This means that it’s able to pull together and serve up personalized information you’re likely to need – often, before you even ask for it. By silently gathering data in the background of your phone or desktop, it’s able to predict what information you need, when you need it.
Google Now cards
Here’s an example of how it works: Let’s say you have plans to attend a concert in a nearby town. Pulling info from your previous interactions with Google (via search, Google calendar, etc.), as well as your location, the app pulls up relevant and timely information and presents it to you via cards. These cards may contain traffic reports near the venue, the best restaurants nearby and the weather forecast for the evening.
This isn’t Google’s first foray into ‘predictive search’, however. You may be familiar with Instant Search, and of course AutoComplete, search features that predict what you’re searching for and display possible search results you may be interested in. The technology was first introduced back in 2004 (although only an experimental version of the feature), however it’s only since Instant Search was released in 2010 that we’ve seen the highly-personalized results that come with localized search (for instance, Google returning local results when searching for ‘restaurants’.)
Google Instant Search
Like Siri, Google Now also recognizes natural language queries; for instance, “Where’s the nearest McDonald’s” rather than ‘”McDonald’s locations”. It also remembers previous queries so you can ask things like “Who was Abraham Lincoln?” followed by ‘When was he born?”
Users can simply tap the microphone icon or say ‘OK Google’ (if the app is open) to access the software.
What Google Now Means for SEO
With the steady move toward personalized, location-based search and natural language queries, SEO has undergone some unprecedented changes over the past few years. Marketers need to focus on optimizing for long tail keywords and conversational search queries, and on ensuring they have a strong presence on Google products like Maps and Local. They also need to ensure their site and content is properly optimized for mobile; this is particularly true for locally based and brick and mortar businesses.
1. Continue to focus on long-tail keywords.
Ranking for 1 or 2-word phrases has become much more difficult as the industry has matured and competition has heated up across virtually all industries, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing; with mobile search being so prevalent, longer, more conversational key phrases are not only easier to rank for, they can be far more lucrative. Research even suggests that up to 78% of local-mobile searches result in offline purchases.
This is huge for web marketers and SEO professionals. This shows us just how important targeting user intent is when optimizing content; and a big part of this is focusing on long tail keywords that are highly targeted and more likely to result in conversions. Mobile users are often ‘on the go’, and are conducting more specific, thorough searches: for instance, ‘miter wood cuts for a playhouse’ rather than just ‘miter cut’, or ‘where is the nearest coffee shop’ rather than ‘coffee shop Vancouver’. For more on the importance of long tail keywords for SEO, see my articles, How to Identify Long-Tail Keywords for Your SEO Campaign and The Rise of the Longtail Keyword for SEO.
2. Using Google products is no longer optional.
The data served up by Google Now cards is largely pulled from Google products like Google+, Google Maps and Google+ Local. This means that if you want Google to return your business in its card results, being present and active on these platforms is a must.
What do I mean by active? Consider Google Local, for example. It’s critical that you’re not only listed, but that your profile is complete and properly optimized. Having your customers or clients leave a positive review increases your chances of having your listing rank higher, both in Google search and Google Now cards.
3. Optimize for mobile.
Mobile is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in 2014. Here’s some proof:
Mobile is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in 2014. Here’s some proof:
- According to MobilePathToPurchase, approximately half of searchers use mobile exclusively to research and make purchases; and even those who search from their PC or tablet are likely to use them in conjunction with their mobile device.
- According to recent research from Google, 4 out of 5 users conduct local searches on their mobile device, and 56% of mobile searches have local intent. The study also showed that 50% of consumers who ran a local search ended up visiting the store within one day.
- According to Matt Cutts at SMX West, mobile search is set to potentially overtake desktop queries by year’s end.
Optimizing for mobile isn’t restricted to local or brick and mortar businesses, however. In my article, Google Hummingbird: A Mobile Content Marketing Strategy Just Became Essential, I discuss the importance of having a mobile content strategy. This doesn’t just mean having a responsive site design or mobile app. It also means properly optimizing your content for mobile: ensuring that your headlines pop, that your content reads vertically and that you serve up content easily consumed ‘on the go’ – meaning succinct, to the point and actionable.
If you haven’t already downloaded it, visit the Google Now website for more info and download instructions.
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