There was a time when the thought of ‘real time search’ was aspirational. Most people couldn’t get their mind around the idea of a social post or news article going live on the Internet and within minutes (or even seconds) it would be found and indexed by the search engines. It’s an idea that seemed pretty unbelievable. With all that being said, that’s exactly where we find ourselves today.
We have arrived here through a mix of technology partnerships, innovative engineers and countless hours of work. And what this has given us is the ability to find the latest news, entertainment, scores and content in seconds, rather than having to wait hours (or days) for it, or even turn to a different outlet, such as television or radio.
What does this mean for your business today? Having fresh, timely information on your website could be a difference maker when it comes to being able to generate additional organic traffic. Having an engaging presence on the social media platforms that make the most sense for your business could have a positive impact on search engine traffic as well (not to mention the benefit of being enaged with your customers on the platforms they use). So if you have been at the forefront of social media, and have accounts on Pinterest, Google My Business, Twitter, Facebook and/or others and have generated a following, then you may all ready be reaping the rewards.
If you have accounts but have not kept them up to date, or if you don’t have any accounts at all, there’s still time. But you have some work ahead of you. With real-time search it’s not necessarily what you have done in the past that will count (although having a more engaging presence is a plus, so you’ll want to work on that). You can position yourself for real-time search by:
- Opening or updating social media accounts
- Building up more fans or followers
- Starting conversations on current topics
- Respond to comments and other posts on topics you are an expert in
- Make it an engaging space for your audience
So what type of situation are you in? Are you ready to take advantage of real-time search?
