Back on April 19th Google announced it would be combining news results into the main body of search results over a few days and I discussed the pros and cons of such an integration. Well that integration did not happen on a wide scale and thanks to Andy Beal I think I know why. It appears Google might have put on the brakes in favor of a larger roll-out of blended results including images, news, video, base, web, etc. all included in the top 10 results!
I just came across this important breaking news from Andy Beal regarding Google’s “universal search model” which, he announced today, is already rolling out to the masses in a measured manner (see the search for Darth Vader was Andy’s example but Luke Skywalker appears to work as well).
According to Andy’s Google source, Google is upgrading its infrastructure substantially to support this intensive melding of information:
“Google is also in the process of deploying a new technical infrastructure that will enable the search engine to handle the computationally intensive tasks required to produce universal search results. The company is also releasing the first stage of an upgraded ranking mechanism that automatically and objectively compares different types of information. As always, Google(TM) search results are ranked automatically by algorithms to deliver the best results to users anywhere in the world.”
So what does this mean for you, the website owner that has top rankings and jealously protects them? If Google’s roll out of universal search shakes up results as much as they appear they will, your top ranking(s) may slightly diminished in stature when compared to the other content on the page. If that is the case, SEO companies like StepForth will do what we do best… adapt and continue to provide you with the visibility you need to be successful online.
Stay tuned, I will be posting more on this new algorithm as it becomes available.
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