09 June 2006 | Author: C. Philip

An evolution of Google Base?

Items submitted to Google Base are now appearing on Google's main SERP (Search Engine Result Page) - a sign of the future for Google Search?. Google are trialling this function on Google.co.uk for the second time now which may give us reason to believe it is in their plans to implement the function fully in the future.

• About Google Base

Google Base is a site on which the user can submit all types of items and services which are then made searchable. It is free to post such items. Labels and attributes can be added to describe these items enabling them to be found on related searches. The more popular the individual attributes become the more Google will suggest them when others post similar items. Very popular items will also show up as suggested items in drop down menus.

Google Base is not intended to be a place where people go to find items - its main purpose is to gather structured data that can be consumed by other Google services. Previously it has been possible for items posted on Google Base to be found on Google Maps and Froogle, their trial inclusion on Google Search however could be Google Base's biggest evolution of recent years.

The screengrab below shows how the Google Base items are displayed on the Google search pages.





















The term "Pharmaceutical Sales Jobs" has been searched here prompting a search refining tool, sourced from Google Base, to appear above the organic search listings.

The user immediately has two options, both of which lead to a relevant search results page headed with a more advanced search refining function for the search 'pharmaceutical sales jobs'. This page is shown in the screen shot below.






















The user can now enter location from a drop down menu and enter his or her postcode. The previous options have now also been given extensive drop down menus.

With the users now being given two search refining options before even seeing the first organic listing it would seem apparent that organically listed sites may begin to see their site traffic drop. This may cause conflict initially should this Beta be developed into a permanent feature. It also seems evident that competition for optimum search exposure will increase since rivals will come through both Google Base and Google's main SERP. Strategies to obtain top listings may become complex, perhaps including optimisation techniques through Google Base.

There's plenty of future options and possibilities - Will we start having to pay to post Google Base listings? - and as always with Google it's a case of wait and see.

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