Universal Search is a technique applied by Google where the result coming from various sources. It not only shows you the web pages but also blogs, videos, images and news related to the keyword. With Universal Search, there’s no need to select a separate menu item – the search will return results that encompass many different types of media. For Example, a search for “computer” might bring up not only web pages about computer, but also blog post about it, videos, news article about it.
Universal Search brings several benefits to searchers. A searcher no longer has to specify the media he or she is looking for – one key phrase search will cover everything. And the result for a search will be more comprehensive.
How Can You Leverage Universal Search?
- Universal Search requires a wide-range content strategy in addition to simply text.
- When using images in your web pages consider adding related keywords to both the name of the image (filename – ie: imagename.jpg) and the alt text
- When uploading videos to YouTube and Google video take full advantage of adding a full description about your video.
- Keep visitors on your site longer by adding appealing content which compares competitors, offers pricing and gives them something real to take away (whitepapers, data sheets).
SearchMetrics released a study on the penetration of Universal Search results in the Google search results.