When users search for a company on Google, it’s logical to
assume they’re looking for something specific on that company’s website. To
help these users, Google typically displays a few sitelinks below the search
result to specific pages on the website.
So instead of the user being directed to the homepage, they
could, for example, click on the Web Design page in the Vital Hike sitelinks above, if that’s the exact page they
need.
Google also include a mini search bar below the sitelinks, for navigation within the company’s website, but this often goes unnoticed.
And Google’s latest change is…
 |
| Google's new Site Search Box Functionality. Source: Official Google Webmaster Blog |
The search bar within the search results will let you search
that website via Google.
This is great for user experience in general because a lot
of websites don’t have a search function and can be difficult to navigate. Now
Google is making it super easy for you.
What does this Site Search mean for Google AdWords?
The site-search function may be useful but it is essentially
a way of keeping you on Google longer.
This will directly benefit Google because of their AdWords
service. If you’re searching-within-Youtube-within-Google, then you’re seeing
more AdWords via Google, potentially clicking on them, and ultimately making
Google more money.
So if you do run AdWords campaigns, you may soon notice a
change in your usual statistics. Your impressions and clicks will likely rise,
and this may continue to increase over time.
AdWords professionals will hate this update because it will skew the stats; any potential increases in clicks could be due to Google's update, rather than the careful edits made to your ad. It muddies the waters, but over time the effect from this update will level out.
But it is fantastic for news for AdWords in general; the
service should only become more effective.
What does Site Search mean for my Website Traffic?
Ultimately your website traffic may decrease.
The traffic you’re losing will be the web-users who aren’t
sure what they’re looking for, and aren’t sure if you’re the business they
want.
They may have typed your name into Google, but now they can
use the site search feature to search your site for relevant information
before even having to visit it.
Example; Mary is looking for some new shoes. Her friend recommended
a good online website called fashion-forever.
Mary doesn’t know the exact URL,
so she types “fashion forever” into Google. The website appears in the search
results, so Mary types “shoes” into the mini site search bar. There are no
results for “shoes” because the website doesn’t sell shoes.
So Mary looks around for another
website instead.
In the above example, not gaining Mary as a website visitor was
good for Fashion Forever because they don’t sell what she’s looking for, so it
wouldn’t have led to a sale.
However, if Mary had to visit the website to look for shoes,
maybe she would have seen a dress advertised on the homepage and bought that. So
it’s bad that they lost her because their marketing might have convinced her to buy something else.
Can I force customers to search on my website instead then?
Yes.
Complicated bit: To do this, you will need to set up a
search engine specific to your website. If you have one, you can make Google
aware of this by marking up your homepage with some code.
With the site-specific search engine and the markup, users
who search within the site search box will be directed to a page on your
website, instead of another page on Google.
And yes, you will still be losing traffic, because these
users have still conducted the search
of your site via the box on Google. Otherwise they would have done this search
on your homepage. But it’s not a massive loss if they’re still directed to your
website afterwards.
Take Away Message
- Website owners may now want to include a site-specific
search engine, plus markup, to retain their website traffic.
- Google AdWords is likely to become more effective soon, with
more people seeing ads on Google and potentially clicking those ads.
- This site search change makes it easier for users to search online, and will make Google more money via AdWords, so they’re laughing.
To find out more about this latest change to the search
engine giant and how it might affect your business, just get in touch by email
or comment below and we’d be happy to discuss it further.
Or, if you’re
interested in keeping your website traffic on your website instead of Google, just get in touch to find out how
we can help!
Maximise Website Traffic
with Google Certified AdWords Partners,
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