Google is the search site most companies aim to attract the attention of when optimising their site. Though Google has always had regular updates that have provided a bit of excitement in the SEO community now and then, the hotting up of search engine competition has led to some interesting additions to the search engine recently.

With the deal struck between Yahoo! and Microsoft to power the former through Microsoft’s Bing, Google is facing real competition for the first time since it started. There are now a number of areas a business needs to focus on when it comes to Google:

• Local results. Google has increasingly focussed on producing geo-targeted results for its searches. This means that, if your site has a local angle at all, it is an invaluable opportunity to gain more traffic. Take local information into account when optimising your site. Providing written ‘how to find us’ directions next to a map can push some valuable keywords in this area and boost your local ranking.
• Recent results. A lot more people are making use of this option in Google’s ’show options’ sidebar when they search. With no real-time search yet available, the recent results option provides viewers with the updated information they are looking for. This means that providing constant, updated content on your site can boost your business right to the top of SERPs when viewers do a recent results search.
• Related results. Google have been increasing their focus on related searches for quite some time now, but the ‘related results’ option on the side bar enables viewers to view the possible related keywords for their search. Your related keywords will come in handy whenever a viewer searches using this option, and increases the likelihood that your site will be featured on both the first and then regrouped results pages.
• Timeline. The timeline search option shows the frequency with which pages on a topic have been published. Companies can establish their dominance in a field when they are shown to have consistently published on their topic over time. Again, this highlights the importance of constant, keyword-rich content.
• Google Local/Google Maps. Launched in Beta version in 2004, Google Local has been around for a while, yet most businesses aren’t making full use of it. Google dropped the name, bringing it back to just Google Maps, but the feature, which displays related businesses whenever a viewer does a map search, is around. The feature allows viewers to post reviews on a business, making online reputation management even more vital. At SEO Consult we can help you with your reputation management strategy.

Some of these features have been on Google for a long time now, but a lot of businesses have seemingly forgotten about them. Google has always aimed to provide the most relevant search to the individual viewer, and now is becoming more interactive. This interaction makes it all the more important for businesses to address each of Google’s functions in their search engine optimisation strategy.

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