New - Google Site Search Onebox

[beu]

Site Search Onebox a new Google feature offering "Site Search" in the main SERPs seems to be based on user intent.

The example below seems to illustrate that users searching for "YouTube" aren't actually intending to visit the site but rather search for video on the site.

http://209.85.129.104/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search






Matt Cutts just posted the following comment about the new feature:
"If you do a search like [imdb] it's often because you're looking for a specific movie page. So a search box helps you find and get to that page much faster."

- http://blogoscoped.com/forum/125346.html#id125369

[AussieWebmaster]

interesting grab

[jimbeetle]

Thanks for the screenshot, beu.

[beu]

No problem, if you cant see the feature live in the URL I posted, try refreshing it a few times and you'll be able to see it in action. Seems to be implemented for sites like YouTube, NASA, Target, IMDB, Wikipedia and others.

[sem4u]

Thanks. I can't see it from the UK yet...

[Dan01]

I typed in Yahoo and there was no search box. I guess it is not for all sites.

I would love to see a sort by date. This way we could get the newest releases (or results) at the top. I would like to see that option in all Google searches.

[lovekissing]

Originally Posted by beu

Site Search Onebox a new Google feature offering "Site Search" in the main SERPs seems to be based on user intent.

The example below seems to illustrate that users searching for "YouTube" aren't actually intending to visit the site but rather search for video on the site.

http://209.85.129.104/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search






Matt Cutts just posted the following comment about the new feature:
"If you do a search like [imdb] it's often because you're looking for a specific movie page. So a search box helps you find and get to that page much faster."

- http://blogoscoped.com/forum/125346.html#id125369

but isn't that's what it is intended for? but nice sharing thanks ^_^

[Jazajay]

Hi it's just came to one of my main competitors for my latest site.
I was shall we say - not amused.

But then I thought about it and relized how this will better me and how they will be worse off.

Heres how.
It's a nice marketting tool for G and they are the only ones most of the time who benefit from this, apart from other sites the site who has this feature are competeting against, that is. Those sites who have it will suffer if they are ecommerce.

Heres why.

1. Those sites are relieing on the results to generate them bussiness. That means if the site doesn't stock the product the site visitor doesn't see any of the other products you offer, and you will lose bussiness as they dont see any of your other related products they may have brought as a result of them going stright to the shop and search or browseing.

2. They are now competing against Google ads. Where as before they where competing against themselves. To me, who can see the reason this was implamented, and it is not to do with relevance but money into the google purse, am glad I dont have it. It would be a hinderance for my bussiness.

Mainly because if you wanted a product you would either go thier and search directly, because of loyalty, or type the product name directly into the search engine to start with and then go from those results.

If the site visitor goes to the home page 9 times out of 10 they are just browsing, thats where these new features are. Now they are browsing the Google ads at the same time.

He he love it - now lets get creative.
Lets see If I can then get listed in those ads and take some traffic from lower priced products that have a better ad description than thier SERP description, bare in mind the person is browsing, in their sponsered links. This is now so easy for me to steal bussiness from my main rival as I now know how and where to target my main rivals bussiness. Also due to the fact that the main rival probably has a lot of repeat bussiness from direct search of thier name I now have a larger customer base to attract tyo my site than before.

To compete they would have to get ads for all thier products just to stop losing bussiness from the new site search.

Thanks G I was looking for a foot hold in to my entrenched competitiors and have just found it. Especailly as I now see several search terms that they have and no competetion as of yet and they have a redicous amount of the main keywords

Lets see how long this one lasts. I hope it's long

Jaz

[j0nyDzine]

Hmmm that's very interesting, BEU. Any idea how those results are derived yet? It seems they are mostly large organizations, possibly they have a Google server on the back of their site driving some of that? Or are they just relying wholly on web crawls for that? Figure they wouldn't try to put something like that out on a major site unless they were really sure on it being up to date for things like products... Or as Jaz says, some products may not really be showing. I'd be very interested to find it out...

[Jazajay]

It does a site: search of the domain for the keywords you specify in the input box.

It basically searches index pages G has for it for matches to your keyword.

Jaza

[beu]

Originally Posted by j0nyDzine

Hmmm that's very interesting, BEU. Any idea how those results are derived yet?

For all I've seen so far, it's no different than the typical "site" operator query. For example, users get the same results by entering "top gun site:youtube.com" in their search box.

[j0nyDzine]

I guess for instance, I went to Nat. Geographic, which had the Google Search box on the SERP for national geographic, and from their website if you look for "elephants" on their search page, got this:
http://google.nationalgeographic.com/search?site=default_collection&client=default_fron tend&proxystylesheet=default_frontend&output=xml_n o_dtd&oe=UTF-8&q=elephants&btnG.x=51&btnG.y=15
...
In the URL, "http://google.nationalgeographic.com/search?site=", doesn't that denote that the site is running off of a Google Server to drive their site search results?

[AussieWebmaster]

yes that is a google powered search... what we are discussing is the box on google that keeps you at google with results that also have competitor ads

[j0nyDzine]

Yeah Aussie,
I realize that. What I am asking is about how that search is derived. I was wondering if they were using a Google powered search on a site to actually get the output for the box...

[AussieWebmaster]

yes it is a set custom search... like a hosted solution for your site

[j0nyDzine]

right, so... what I was getting at was 2 things.
A. In order to have that usability on Google you have to have bought their service (or in partnership - I know of some non profits for instance that have pretty substantial PPC campaigns given to them by Google, as well as the Google site search via G Servers).
and
B. Since you have bought that service, and not just crawled data from who knows how long, those product results should be accurate. Which means Jaz's logic on someone not being able to find a product result might be off... So far I only get the box search from searching for the site name, so someone is already there from brand loyalty to begin with...
... it seems you get a pretty cool benefit now right there if you happen to be in some kind of partnership with Google or paying for the service...

[Jazajay]

A. In order to have that usability on Google you have to have bought their service

No not nesercarily.
GCS sucks beyond belief, why you would want it, unless you have a million searches a month, is beyond me.

But that is just one case you point to.
A lot of other sites use their custom search function built by good programmers, and not GCS, and still have the custom search in their home page SERPs.

Jaz's logic on someone not being able to find a product result might be off.

That's not entirely what I meant.

What I meant was if they don't stock a item, that's not sell it on their site, the site loses the ability to attracted sales from impulse buying due to the fact that they don't see any related products that are similar nor do they see any items they may have been looking for as well, they just see serps and no results for your query if it returns an empty query.

This would get rid of any persuasive architecture done from user tracking to keep people on the site. If those sites hire a persuasive architect or a Information architect, they don't come cheap, to get people to stay on the site after a bad search then they have just wasted a lot of money.

Now you have made me think TBH.
What if a site who has this feature also stocks items only available to members who have to log in.

They will not be returned if it is searched for due to the fact that it is behind a login script and G therefore can not index the item and show it in the SERP's for the site.

A member comes along to the home page. Bare in mind G,Y,L and ask according to research from krugg, get some traffic by people who go straight to google, yahoo's, Live's or ask's home page and then search for the site name they want, rather than just typing it straight into the address bar and going their directly.

They search for a product in the SERP's thinking it applies to them and again assume the site doesn't stock the item due to the fact G cant index the page and go else where. Regardless of any PA or IA that is already done.

I would hate this function on my site.
It's a hindrance not a benefit I cant see how people cant see that to be honest.

In fact, I take it Beu will know this, is their any way to have it removed if I do acquire 1? Not saying I will but just in case it would be nice to know.

Again these sites are competing against PPC from site visitors who would normally go straight to the site and search and thus have no competition.
Then you can think about IA or any PA that is done. Or hell better search results then what G can offer. Is that possible apparently not please.

Jaza

[sayad]

Originally Posted by j0nyDzine

I guess for instance, I went to Nat. Geographic, which had the Google Search box on the SERP for national geographic, and from their website if you look for "elephants" on their search page, got this:
http://google.nationalgeographic.com/search?site=default_collection&client=default_fron tend&proxystylesheet=default_frontend&output=xml_n o_dtd&oe=UTF-8&q=elephants&btnG.x=51&btnG.y=15
...
In the URL, "http://google.nationalgeographic.com/search?site=", doesn't that denote that the site is running off of a Google Server to drive their site search results?

Yes it looks so... but it has nothing to do with the topic ??


Sayad

[Dan01]

The only disadvantage I can see is if the searcher uses Google's sub-search rather than the search on our website. I don't make much money off of search, but I hope it doesn't affect my revenue. If people use that search, there is no revenue sharing with the publisher. But if they go directly to my site and use my site search, then I can split it with Google. Otherwise, Google keeps the whole thing if they use that sub-search and the person clicks on someone's ad.