Real Time Comes to Google: incorporating social media in search results

If your agency has been hesitant about plunging into the raging ocean that is social media, you’d better take a fresh look at Google.

In the past week, the online behemoth made some radical changes when it began incorporating social media into its search results. Until now, individual posts from sites like MySpace, Twitter and Facebook have been MIA in Google searches. Not anymore.

Now Google displays any social media posts that contain a particular search term in real time – as they are posted.

It’s not that this never-ending digital gossip wasn’t happening before – it’s that the largest search engine in the online world now brings it to consumers “at the speed of live.” That means that anything and everything that’s screamed, spoken or whispered about your agency in the MySpaceFacebookTwitterYouTube world is spotlighted for the entire Web population.

And it’s not just social media that’s appearing on Google, according to a December 7 article that appeared on InternetNews.com. Google has revamped its entire search engine infrastructure to accommodate an arsenal of new tools.

So, if you want to be found on the Internet now is the time to get active in the social media landscape. 

How can you do that?

1) If your company doesn’t already have a presence in social media, get one.

2) Start posting regularly and often on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. These are the top three, but they’re not the only social media sites. Monitor other sites – including startups – and consider joining them as well.

3) Maintain your list of SEO keywords and use them regularly in your posts, as well as your agency’s name. Remember: you want your posts to be seen by people searching for your company, or words related to your company’s mission and product/service offerings.

4) Videos, videos, videos! Invest in multimedia. Fill your site with video and audio files.

Companies like Google thrive because of their ability to identify and take advantage of certain trends. The same goes for home care agencies. Google has just handed us several new marketing tools for our arsenal. Take the time to become familiar with the tools – and you’ll quickly find you’re able to use them to your advantage! Or, better yet, just hire corecubed to do it for you!

Watch Google’s new Social Media Search in action: