Heads Up! Caffeine Is Coming!

Google is preparing a new search index, called “Caffeine”. I’ve been reading about the results people are finding when they test this new index and I’ve been doing quite a bit of testing of my own. Since this is still in the “beta” phase, things will certainly change, but this is what I expect to see in the final version.

1. There is going to be a heavy emphasis on social media – it’s time to beef up your profiles on your Blog, Facebook, Google Account, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you don’t have a Blog, you need to start one now.
2. There seems to be less emphasis on news and image search results, but much better real time results.
3. Make sure you are using Google Product Search (Google Shopping) if you sell products and that this feed is well optimized for search results.
4. The new Google search relies more on keywords – there is a definite change in the search algorithm. Now is the time to optimize (or re-optimize) your site for good SEO. And, be aware that as Google works out the kinks, this algorithm is sure to change over time and this will require site optimizations to change as well.
5. The major change I am seeing is the social media focus. Make sure that you have a Blog and accounts with Twitter, LinkedIn and a Facebook page. Maintain these accounts - keep them updated with fresh, relevant content and make sure that you have good profiles in each.
   

There is little doubt in my mind that this search index update from Google is going to be a huge issue for some websites. For those of you who remember the “Big Daddy Index” of 2006 and the problems that created for some, I expect this to be at least as big. Unless you are well covered in the social media world and have recently optimized your site content for good keyword SEO, this is not the time to sit back and wait to see what happens. You can be sure that your competitors are not.

Contact me now and ask about a Social Media Marketing package and site re-optimization so you will be ready for the new Google search. Now is the time to move ahead on any website marketing plans you may have put on hold.