SES NY 2008 - Quick Notes on Universal Search Panel

I caught the last 30 minutes of the Orion Panel on Universal Search here at the Search Engine Strategies 2008 Conference (link).

A lot of this is not new but nonetheless it's nice to hear it phrased well. For example, John Battelle, Founder/Chairman/CEO, Federated Media had a nice analogy;


"We are just now going from DOS to Windows in the new age of Search."

Here are some other quick notes/thoughts

(previously posted to Twitter)

• Everyone on the panel agrees Universal search is the future however it's just beginning. We are just seeing a glimpse into the future.



• Universal Search is here to stay, it's what consumers want. Google will continue to tweak around with the SERP's.



• Mike Grehan's top 10 tips for Optimizing Universal and Blended Search:


1. Understand what universal and blended search is



2. Widen your perspective or get creative about your digital content



3. Start with optimizing your images: name each file in a descriptive way, use alt tags. include a descriptive caption next to each image.



4. Target local results, open Google account and go to the local business center and enter your free listing.



5. Think newsworthy, optimize press releases. become an expert commentator in your industry.



6. Power of Blogs, embed audio, video, and images in your blog. Optimize title tag, description tag, and publish date tag.



7. Get into the movie biz, make video's and upload them to: Google Videos, YouTube, and Metacafe. Bookmark them in Social Network sites.



8. Take advantage of Google Finance, your own stock quote can pop up on the SERP's if your biz is large enough



9. Sell, sell, sell Upload everything you want to sell to Google's product search



10. Don't panic! Relax, take a deep breath, and remember your audience!


Stay Tuned for more from SES 2008...

- Dante Monteverde

Tags: SES NY 2008, Universal Search, John Battelle, Federated Media, Google, SERPs, Mike Grehan, Optimizing, Dante Monteverde