3 ways to prepare for the changes to Google search

A report today outlined extensive changes to the way Google will handle search results. Don’t get left tongue tied when someone asks you about it tomorrow (or in the near future).

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According to a report in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, Google results will include more facts and direct answers to searches. It’s trying to provide the answer to a query, and keep users on its page, instead of sending them to another website.

Google is already using this approach to an extent, according to Nick Papagiannis, director of interactive/search at Cramer-Krasselt. For example, type “height of Mt. St. Helens” into Google and the search engine kicks out the answer—8,365 ft.—in black text above the list of blue links.

“You can expect to see results like these and an evolution to a more sophisticated search experience in the coming months and years,” Papagiannis told PR Daily. “Google is constantly evolving their technology to provide searches with the best results.”

Brands and the PR departments working with them need to pay attention to the changes; they could “directly impact the search results for 10 percent to 20 percent of all search queries, or tens of billions per month,” according to the WSJ.

So, how can PR professionals prepare?

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