The goal of the search engines is to scour the Web in search of the most relevant information related to a query. In only a matter of seconds, they are able to sort through and rank millions of matches that include websites, videos, news articles, images, videos and more.
To accomplish this complex task, search engine spiders evaluate websites using hundreds of different criteria. From the number of external links referencing a given website to the keywords used in the meta title, there’s a lot going on in Google’s algorithm.
But until recently, Google gave no preference to sites from your social circle, including blogs and status updates from your friends. Now, thanks to Google’s Social Search program, those who are signed into Google will start seeing related results from their personal network of friends, family and colleagues.
How Does It Work?
Any time you’re logged into your Google account, the search engine will search through blogs, public profiles and other information from your friends’ Google Profiles to bring you any relevant matches from your personal network. This means that if you search for “restaurants in New York” and one of your friends has blogged about great restaurants in New York, this information will appear at the bottom of Google’s search results under the title: Results from People in Your Social Circle.
The goal of social search engines is to bring you results from the people whose opinions you value most. While a friend’s blog about the best places to dine in Manhattan may not have otherwise made the first page of Google, their opinion may be just as valuable to you – if not more so – than a well-known restaurant critic from the New York Times.
In other words, a social search engine helps you find information directly from people you know and trust, making your results more relevant.
These results are specific to you and include connections from your Gmail chat list, Google contact list, people you’re connected to via Twitter and FriendFeed, subscriptions from your Google Reader, as well as friends-of-friends from your social circle.
What Does It Mean for SEO?
It means that social media is more important than ever. Search engine optimization and social search marketing should not be treated as separate online marketing strategies. Social search engines will surely be a part of the online marketing game going forward. By establishing a strong social media presence, creating quality content and connecting with bloggers, you can reach thousands (or millions!) of potential customers.
