Today’s answers don’t even require a click – The evolution of search and where it’s going - by Diana Podaski

Diana Podaski, Linear Retail Properties

Does it feel like Google has been around for 18 years, and tracking us for 10? That’s a long time for the search mogul to evolve, but also for our habits around search to progress. From all of Google’s algorithm launches (Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird) to Facebook and AI, things they are a changing; today, most answers don’t even require a click.

We started with keywords and then long-tail keywords including specific questions yielding universal results including content, images, video and news. Then, Google took it a step further to include books, products, maps and places. Today, Google is seeing 3.5 billion searches per day. Though the numbers are boggling - Google is not the only game in town. People are migrating from Google (Bing, Yahoo) searches and going directly to their other favorite sites to search like: LinkedIn for people, YouTube for how to’s and video, Amazon for products, and Facebook for people, places and now just about anything.

According to Meghan Kearney Anderson, VP of marketing for HubSpot, “we are seeing a shift in mobile, social and voice.” Out of the average 46 times a day we pick up our phone, about 80% of the time we are on apps, which is now bypassing search all together. The most used app you ask? Well, it’s none other than Facebook. As Brian Haligan, co-founder and CEO of HubSpot puts it, “Zuckerberg is eating the world,” and at the moment - I agree.

So how can Google compete with Facebook while improving its product and the user experience? Recently, Google launched “quick answers” which gives you one answer at the top of the page or a box with directions, sports scores, flight info etc. You don’t even have to click! Moving from the keyboard to voice commands, search is incorporated into AI (artificial intelligence personal assistant) home devices like Amazon’s Alexa controlled Echo Speaker and Google Home powered by Google Assistant. Again, no clicks! The advanced technology will even take commands like, “order dog food.” It will know to call up your last Amazon order, see what dog food you ordered and how much and place the order for you with payment. One day later, Sparky gets his favorite dinner again.

Everything around search is about trying to improve convenience and the user experience. We want quality answers in a quick, but fun way.  Over time I think the in-car search experience will improve along with more mainstream in-home search devices. With these changes, it makes you realize how you need to adapt your website and content to optimize for these devices.

Social Media Fun Fact: 90% of Facebook users access the site via the app vs. the desktop version – Mari Smith, Facebook expert.

Diana Podaski is VP - marketing and social media at Linear Retail Properties, Burlington, Mass.