Google is no stranger to big events, especially since the company runs plenty themselves. One event that happened recently was the Google Inside Search event, which introduced several new features (several of which we already covered) and discussed the future of both mobile and desktop search. Here are a few of the big points made at the event.
1) Google is committed to mobile.
The company has seen booming figures when it comes to mobile searches, and the rise of smartphones is one of the big factors in that. Users seem to be using smartphones for searches on the weekend about as much as they use a desktop system for searches during the week. While the company has come under fire for showing so many sites that aren’t optimized for the mobile experience, Google continues to repeat a mantra of “relevance, simplicity, and speed.” These three virtues have been in the front of Google’s mind for a long time, and they translate beautifully to mobile.
2) SEO should be about the user experience.
Matt Cutts stated at Inside Search that “Google is trying to figure out what users want. And so rather than you as an SEO chasing after Google, and Google chasing after what users want, if you chase directly after what users want, then both you and Google are trying to get to the top of the same mountain in some sense.” The key factor to SEO, in the long run, would be to focus on being a valuable resource for users – and not on using the “traditional” SEO tactics.
3) Desktop impacts mobile, and vice-versa.
Desktop search laid the foundation for mobile searching, but mobile search has stumbled across a number of technologies that can be re-translated back into the desktop environment. Google Goggles brought us the newly released image search for desktop, while voice search on mobile brought voice search to the desktop environment.
4) Local advertisement and web advertisement are joining forces.
With smartphones and tablets becoming more prominent, geo-location can help companies advertise to those close by and can help users find the best deals in their area. While web and local ads were once separate, they are becoming more and more integrated with one another as time goes on.
[Sources include: Search Engine Land]
