Do You Know Your Search Space?

In the era of blended search results, it's more important than ever to understand your search engine results page (SERP).  No longer is search engine visibility broken down into  sponsored links and organic results.  Today, we see results from maps, images, news, videos and more getting pulled into traditional SERPs based on the assumed intent of the search query.

Understanding your search space is the first step in gaining increased visibility in the SERPs.   We frequently find gaps and opportunities in the blended SERPs for small to medium sized businesses in highly competitive keyword spaces.  The search engines use different algorithms to compute top rankings for images, videos, and maps, thus giving smaller businesses with solid SEO the opportunity to rise to the top. Here are three examples.

“The Seven Pack” - Google Maps results displaying for search queries with local intent, which currently make up 20% of searches.  Ensure your business shows up via Google Places by claiming your local business listing.

Images – Google Images showing up for a high volume, highly competitive keyword.  Be sure your images contain alternative text, are stored in an appropriate file structure (/images/keyword-friendly-image-name), and are given context by surrounding text.

News – Trending topics frequently see Google News results in the traditional SERP.    Identify trending topics for your business using Google Trends.  Write a blog post about the topic and use social media to help promote it.

Ensure your business in gaining maximum visibility in the SERPs by analyzing your search engine space carefully and then taking action to ensure your site is well optimized for blended search.

Lindsay Reither
Director of SEM & Web Analytics