Google has been experimenting with its search engine results page for a while now and naturally, Google enjoys making any changes that will benefit its AdWords business. While these tweaks to the SERP may be beneficial to advertisers, regular SEOs will be irritated when their organic search results are pushed further down the page.
The SEM Post, reported the Google update with an image of what the search results look like for business cards. Google has been testing with the 4 ads at the top of the search results since December but it looks like AdWords reps are only informing advertisers about the change.
What Does This Mean to Marketers
While the ads that at the top of the search results will appear more natural or native looking, especially if Google plans to remove the yellow Ad logos, the competition for top keywords will be harder to claim as prices drive up.
For marketers with a smaller budget, the SERP change will cause them to settle for lower cost keywords and focus more on organic search optimization.
Focusing on Content
Since ads will be taking over the top of the search results page, marketers will need to find a different way to stand out. Content marketing is a surefire way to get noticed on the SERP and by customers.
Marketers will want to focus on creating high-quality content such as videos, articles and infographics, to name a few, in order to appear higher on the new Google search page. Besides just having a keyword rich blog, check out what else B2B Buyers Need to See on Your Website.
Google Experiments with Concierge Services
In addition to Google’s search engine experiments, Joe Goldstein of Navolutions was the first to spot the new concierge feature after searching for “plumber los gatos”. While this feature isn’t official, Google is looking to offer more than just a local search by inviting searchers to call Google for recommended home service professionals.
As shown in the picture above, the first result also says sponsored which may turn the average searcher away. Apparently, Google’s organic search algorithm isn’t good enough to provide trusted and experienced service professionals so they are resorting to call centers. But then again, the concierge experiment is just another way Google is trying to monetize local searches, so who knows how successful this will be.
Just Focus on Content
Again, focusing on creating high-quality content on your website will attract more people to your page and rank you higher in organic search results. While Google likes to throw curveballs, it’s safe to say that as long as you focus on optimizing content, local search and social, then your engagement rates will improve.
If you want to know more about SERPs and SEO optimization, then check out our Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Top 10 Priorities Whitepaper.
