• Search Engine Land
  • Sections
    • SEO
    • SEM
    • Local
    • Retail
    • Google
    • Bing
    • Social
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Follow Us
    • Follow
  • Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • Live
  • More
  • Events
    • Follow
  • SUBSCRIBE

Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • More
  • Newsletters
  • Home
SEO

What Google’s experimental content podium means for SEO

What's the deal with Google Posts? Columnist Tony Edward explains this invite-only Google feature and discusses its potential implications for search marketers.

Tony Edward on October 14, 2016 at 10:58 am
  • More
google-authorship-content-writing1-ss-1920

Google has been testing a new content platform called “Posts with Google,” and it could have a huge impact on brand searches, for both paid and organic.

We all know that Google has had its struggles with trying to develop its own social network; Google Buzz is dead, and Google Plus seems to be on its way out. This new platform seems to have some social elements to it, though it is very different from a social network.

On the official site for this platform, Google states the following:

Every day millions of people search on Google, many of whom are looking for information about prominent individuals and organizations. Now we’re experimenting with a new way for users to hear directly from select entities they’re searching for on Google.

Verified individuals and organizations can now communicate with text, images and videos directly on Google. Creating content is fast and simple, and once published, posts will appear instantly in search results related to the publisher. Each post can also be shared on popular social networks.

So it appears the goal for this platform is to provide real-time updates from individuals and organizations when someone performs a direct brand search. This complements Google’s Knowledge Graph results, which provide quick information for entities. Google was already doing this real-time update by having official Twitter profiles and a tweet feed appearing for searches for entities.

Let’s take a look at the platform.

Check out the Tory Burch profile on posts.google.com. As you can see, it resembles a company social network profile page. It has a post feed, profile photo and what appears to be a cover photo/banner.

tory-burch-post-google

The Tory Burch content feed is also appearing for branded searches. Notice the content carousel that sits below the paid ads and at the top of the organic search listings.

tory-burch-content-carousel-postswithgoogle

This platform has a strong social integration as well; social share buttons are prominent on the profile and in the content carousel that appears in the SERPs.

share-socially-post-google

Impact on search

This podium feature is still experimental, and right now it’s “invite only.” But if Google opens this up to more individuals and brands, it will have a major impact.

As you can see in the Tory Burch content carousel above, the Google Posts content is very prominent and includes links, images and videos. This type of result can steal clicks from both paid ads and organic results. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as the links within your posts can direct users to your website, which can save you budget on the paid search side.

From a conversion standpoint, this platform allows you to post real-time updates, such as sales or promotions, which can help increase conversions on your site. This can also help distract users from negative results that may be present on page one of your branded search results.

It would be interesting if Google provided reporting metrics for this result type, such as organic impressions and clicks in the Search Analytics Report via Search Console (as they currently do for web pages).

At this point, we have to wait and see what Google decides to do. There is currently a waitlist to use this platform, and I would highly recommend signing up if you are representing a brand or business. Visit the signup page here.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Tony Edward
Tony Edward is a director of SEO at Tinuiti and an adjunct instructor of search marketing at NYU. Tony has been in the online marketing industry for over 10 years. His background stems from affiliate marketing and he has experience in paid search, social media and video marketing. Tony is also the founder of the Thinking Crypto YouTube channel.

Related Topics

All Things SEO ColumnChannel: SEOGoogleGoogle: Google PostsSEO - Search Engine OptimizationSEO: General

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.
See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Lorem ipsum doler this is promo text about SMX events.

February 23, 2021: SMX Report

April 13, 2021: SMX Create

May 18-19, 2021: SMX London

June 8-9, 2021: SMX Paris

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

October 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

December 17, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges. Our next conference will be held:

MarTech 2021: March 16-17

MarTech 2021: Sept. 14-15

MarTech 2020: Watch On-Demand

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • 6 Powerful Ways Experience Analytics Can Help Your Business Now
  • Email Tune-Up: A 5-Point Inspection to Get Your Program in Gear
  • Digital Marketing Report Q4 2020: Benchmarks and Insights for 2021
  • Data SEO – The Next Big Adventure
  • Getting Started with Email Marketing Automation
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • How to Avoid the Digital Transformation Trap
  • How to Build a Marketing System of Record
  • Meet BIMI: The brand-boosting email security marketers must have for 2021
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

h
Receive daily search news and analysis.
Search Engine Land
Download the Search Engine Land App on iTunes Download the Search Engine Land App on Google Play

Channels

  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social

Our Events

  • SMX
  • MarTech

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars
  • Search Marketing Expo
  • MarTech Conference

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Connect With Us

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Youtube
  • iOS App
  • Google Play

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok