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Why Should Google Incorporate Social Search Feature on Mainstream SERP?

Posted on Friday, March 11, 2011
Labels: google social search feature, social search google

Google Social

To many, Google already displays social circle results when logged in. This is officially confirmed by Google almost two years back when a new experiment on Google Labs called Google Social Search was rolled out that helps users find more relevant public content from their broader social circle. However, this kind of experiment of incorporating social results may not serve a meaningful purpose unless the search results are materialized on Google mainstream.

Google in search result page offers many options for users to customize their search based on their informational needs. However, none of the options have any tab for ‘social search’. Though Google’s attempt to experiment social search is worth noticing yet it’s not appreciated due to lack of finding the same on Google’s mainstream search.

After the closure of Google Wave, the fate of real time search launched by Google a few months back appears to be in doldrums because of ‘replicating updates’ from Twitter. The hype of RealTime Search is fading due to bad users’ experiences.

In my opinion, Google should consider incorporating social search feature onto mainstream search results. This will not only provide an additional option to users but also create many other advertising avenues for the company. Also, this will help users make fast decision of making purchase of anything they find on social search results that should ideally include reviews, recommendations, feedback, etc. One of the sources confirm that 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations over ads and Google SERPs.

In order to further enhance users’ experience, Google can also customize its interface with tabs including Universal, Horizontal, Vertical, and Social. See below the screenshot.

Google New Interface

The default setting should be directed towards horizontal search (General Archive search). Universal search option should display results from all sources (archive, video, audio, image, news etc). Vertical search option should display industry specific or commercial specific search. Social search option should display search results from social sites (YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook, social bookmarking etc).

This will not only help Google take a major leap but also explore additional avenues for advertising. It’s high time for Google to come out of horizontal approach. Redefine the search in a customized and semantic way!