Also known as “blended search results” these can include 1 or more of these Google services; blogs, news, shopping, books, images, local, videos and probably lots more that I can’t think of at this moment in time. But don’t worry that these may create even more competition as they are a major opportunity for more click through. For this example let’s look at the term “GUNS”
You can see the Images takes the 1st slot in our Mixed media results:
Then we have Local Listings and Video :
and in this case News in the footer :
Blended Search Pros :
Blended search is great as it enhances the user experience
It is another way for you to engage with potential customers
If you are having difficulty ranking for a keyword, blended search might be the answer.
Blended Search Cons :
Can sometimes be unrelated
Reduces the “traditional” traffic websites get
If you have a 1st page ranking, the blended search results is your “Achilles heel”
Strategies
Excellent for pre-selling products/services, e.g. “How To’s”
By appearing in multiple mediums you will build trust and your brand.
Great way to beat your competitors in the SERPs.
Google News
Create a Google News Sitemap (plugin available for WordPress)
Create an About page
Create an Editorial Team page
Create an Contact Details page
Submit it to Google
Wait and cross your fingers!
Google Base
Create a product feed and upload to Google Base
This will help your products appear in Google search results
Very effective for long tail search results, especially part numbers etc.
YouTube Videos
Upload the video to YouTube
Fill in the title and description containing useful keywords – not spam or wishlists
Embed it on your website
Link to the video on YouTube
Use it as a response to other videos, if appropriate.
Encourage comments, ratings and subscriptions.
Image Results
Link to the image filename with your desired anchor text and it tends to rank.
Add alt text and title text tags when displaying images.
Things to consider
Blended searches are inconsistent – therefore your CTR’s are likely to fluctuate greatly.
If you don’t appear, someone else will, most likely your competitors.
If you are at #4 you run the risk of being pushed way down by blended results.
Need to push your way to #3 minimum – otherwise your CTR is going to be significantly low
QDF means Query Deserves Freshness
This allows certain keywords that are trending to be updated in real time.
Makes ranking difficult and temporary.
The newer your content, the higher it ranks.
QDD stands for Query Deserves Diversity
Means you see a mix of things, including: information, commercial pages, news, blogs, images and videos.
Google will promote alternative things to the front page, even if they don’t “rank” that high.
this means you can hit the front page for neglected QDD search terms.
