Google Launches Real-Time Search Homepage and New Tools

Search engines have been working at a rapid pace to improve their systems to handle and deliver results from social networks in real time. Today, the real-time search industry got a lot hotter. Google today turned on a new experiment feature that delivers search results on a keyword in real time. Google’s real-time search feature is currently in the process of being rolled out to everyone. Visit Google.com/realtime to give it a try.

How Does Google’s Real-Time Search Work?

Google’s real-time search provides users with a page of search results that automatically update as new updates are created that mention the user's search terms from social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and more. Included in real-time search are many new features:

Real-Time Google Alerts - Do you want to get an email the second someone mentions your business on Twitter? Now you can. With the launch of real-time search, Google has made Google Alerts a real-time feature.

Look for Local Conversations - Using real-time search, users can limit real-time updates to a specific location near them or a location they select. Want to know what is the hottest topic in your city right now? Then set your location in Google real-time search.

History Conversation Viewing - Using the timeline at the top of the real-time page, users can scroll to a period of time and look at the updates and conversations for specific data and times using Google’s real-time search.

To learn about some of the other important features and aspects of Google’s real-time search, check out this quick video from Google.

Marketing Takeaway

With the launch of real-time search, Google has reinforced the importance of social media for marketing. Businesses participating in social media will have a clear advantage in getting found online because of their automatic inclusion in real-time search results. Marketers now have a new tool to monitor online conversations about their business and understand which marketing events directly caused an increase in word-of-mouth buzz during a given time. Google real-time search is a huge boost for marketers not only in monitoring but also in demonstrating the value of social media to their business.

Posted by Kipp Bodnar on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 @ 01:30 PM