Google Changes Search-Results Page, How Merchants Can Benefit

A great article from Practical eCommerce on Google search changes - even if it is already a month old!

May 25, 2010 · by Bill Hartzer

Google has made some major changes to its search results recently, adding more options for searchers. These are not changes to search algorithms, which determine the websites that show up, and where. Rather, the new changes give searchers options that allow them to tailor the type of search results that they see. To help you navigate through these changes and what it really means for your ecommerce business, let's look at sample search results and focus on what your site can do to appear in them. For example, let's focus on one keyword, "toys."

If you look at the search results for the keyword "toys," you will see three columns. On the left side, under the Google logo, there are several different types of search results, such as "Everything," "Maps," "Images," "Shopping," "More," and then "All results." The center column shows the organic search results, and the right side shows Google's AdWords. If you sell toys, then it would be pretty difficult to compete with the large retailers, such as Toysrus.com, Etoys.com, and Walmart.com. However, here is where it gets interesting: It's these other "categories" or "types" of search results where a smaller business that sells toys could compete.

Local Search

In the search results for "toys," Google has decided that I am in the Killeen, Texas area, so it is showing a Google Map that points-out the local businesses that sell toys in the area. Let's look at the Google Maps results.

If you click on the "Maps" link in the middle of the page you will see a map of your current location (Killeen, Texas in my case), and you should also see local search results for your location.

So, how do you show up in this search result? There are quite a few "tips" to doing local search-engine optimization, but some include making sure you claim your listing in Google Places and including your keyword in your business name. Also, keep in mind that some of the local search algorithms might include mentions of your business name and address. So building more mentions of both of those on other websites (similar to link building, but not actually "linking") will help, as well.

Image Search

When it comes to the image search results as shown above, it is still pretty competitive for a lot of high-traffic search phrases such as "toys." However, there is a good opportunity to focus on appearing in the search results for product names with "long tail" keyword phrases that include two, three, or more keywords. The key to ranking well in the image search results is still like the organic search results: links to the actual image files tend to help out a lot. I have been successful in the past by allowing other websites to "hotlink" to certain images. If you allow this, then I would make sure that your watermark or web address is added on the photo.

Google Shopping

For the shopping search results, make sure that you are feeding your products to Google Shopping. There is an "information for merchants" area there, where you can start a data feed. If your website does not currently automatically generate a shopping feed of your products, this can be done manually. You can create this feed of all of your products, product descriptions, links, and prices in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, save it, and manually upload the file. If you have an ecommerce website and have not taken advantage of Google Shopping then you are definitely missing out on more sales.

Google has specific categories of data that must be included in every shopping feed, so you'll need to read the FAQ or help section. Otherwise, frequent updates to the feed (daily, if possible) and links to your specific products from other websites will help. (For more on Google Shopping, see "Google Product Search: Creating a Data Feed," one of my previous articles here on PEC.)

"Latest" Search Results

Another search option that Google has added recently is the option to see the "latest" search results. This is where all of us have a good chance to compete with even the large retailers for keyword phrases such as "toys." Look at the example on the left.

These "latest" search results, for many keyword phrases, will scroll in "real time." If you mention a keyword on a social media website, for example, then most likely it will show up at some point very quickly in search results. This will give you a chance to "rank well" for that keyword phrase, at least for a few seconds or even a few minutes, depending on how many other people are mentioning that keyword phrase. On the right side, you'll notice the "top links" for that keyword phrase. This is a good opportunity to do some "link building" for your website, to get some additional mentions of your business and a link to your website. You may end up with some immediate traffic and sales, and, in the long run, you'll end up with some more "on topic" links to your website.


With the addition of the latest search results, Google has given all of an opportunity to rank well, at least for some period of time. If your message is right and you combine some social media accounts along with some blog posts on your website and even updates on your Facebook account on a regular basis, then this is a terrific opportunity to begin to drive traffic and sales to your website.

ProductCart Tips and Tricks: Issue 1

Red Leaf Development wants to help your business increase sales, reach new customers and drive more traffic to your site. We are constantly trying to keep you up-to-date with changes to the eCommerce landscape. That is no easy task lately! Here are some industry trends that we have been following this year.

ProductCart already has some of these features built in while some of the additions require a minor customization; and still some require more advanced development. As always, contact Red Leaf to determine which will be easy, moderate or difficult to add to your site.

Personalize your site
Each shopper is unique, and several of the Internet Retailer Hot 100 e-Retailers tailor their sites to the individual. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Add cross-selling. Red Leaf has developed an "Automated" cross selling add on that links the product a customer is viewing to other products that customers have purchased. This functions exactly like the "Customers who bought this product also bought…" feature on Amazon.
• Add recommendations. Add a spot on your site where a group of recommended products can be displayed that is based on a customer's browsing history.
• Send targeted emails. When done well these campaigns are perceived as good service; customers accept and value these approaches. When delivered through email, recommendations, suggestions and relevant content gets very high open rates, and low unsubscribe rates. Add a coupon code to encourage a click-through and measure your results.

Facilitate buzz
More than eight in ten people say that their personal networks are among the two to three best sources for new information. "Social networking is ingrained in our corporate culture because it is ingrained in the lives of our customers," says Eric McCoy, founder and CEO of shoe e-Retailer Heels.com. The goal is to connect with your customer and get them to like and trust you. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Setup a Facebook page for your company (be sure to link to it from your website).
• Enable product ratings and reviews and be sure to feature a best seller list on your site.
• Add the "Share This!" or the Facebook "Like" button to your product pages.
• A blog allows you to engage your customers and listen to their feedback. It also will help boost your natural search engine rankings.

Convert and remarket
Let's face it - you can't call a site visitor a customer until they purchase from your site. Step back and look at your site, ask yourself "What would compel someone to buy from you?" The goal is to convert your visitors into customers and follow up with excellent customer service, every time. Ideally your customers will come back again and again to buy from you! Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Offer a simple email sign up on your homepage.
• Feature a 1-800 number prominently on your homepage.
• Offer more than one payment option - enable PayPal for example.
• Use the emails you have collected whenever possible - send targeted email based on browsing behavior or prior purchase information, for example, "As someone who has shown interest in you might also like..."
• Keep it simple and favor your existing customers by making it exceptionally easy for a returning customer to make purchases.
• Use tools to track drop-offs, conversions and ROI.

For a free consultation and quote, please contact our Sales Department today at 1-603-319-1922 x103 or at Sales@RedLeafDevelopment.com. For more information about our Social Commerce offerings, visit us online at www.redleafdevelopment.com/social_tools.

Excerpt of an April 2009 Article about ProductCart

Here we profile ProductCart, by Early Impact, Inc. Based in Mission Viejo, Calif., the company offers the licensed cart for a starting price of $695 with optional add-ons. We interviewed co-owner Massimo Arrigoni about the cart.

PeC: Please provide some general background on the cart.

Arrigoni: “ProductCart is a licensed shopping cart. We started in 2001, and we’re currently shipping version 3.51. Several thousand licenses have been sold.”

PeC: What are the cart's biggest strengths?

Arrigoni: “Eight years of development based on a constant stream of customer feedback, which translates into a feature depth that is hard to find in other shopping carts. It also means that we have had the opportunity to implement approved integrations with FedEx, UPS, eBay, QuickBooks, Google Website Optimizer, Google Checkout and dozens of other systems.”

“For companies that sell custom-made or configurable products and services, our ‘Build To Order’ version with conflict management can provide solutions to problems that are hard to solve. A quick example: Being able to provide online quotes for catered events where some of the prices change dynamically based on the number of guests, and some don’t, such as a fixed price for the jazz band, but variable food costs."

PeC: What are some of its weaknesses?

Arrigoni: “Multi-lingual support. The feature set is so broad that to make everything from custom search fields to gift wrapping options available in multiple languages would require substantial changes to the system architecture. So it’s an area where we simply say, ‘Sorry, it doesn’t do it.’”

PeC: What plans do you have for future cart development?

Arrigoni: “We asked our users what they were missing. It’s incredible the amount of smart features they came up with. We haven’t made final decisions on everything that will make it into the next release, but we can say that ProductCart v4 (coming in September 2009), will have a slick, AJAX-powered one-page checkout, more sales and coupon management features, stronger content management tools and lots more features.”

PeC: How specifically would switching to ProductCart improve a merchant's business?

Arrigoni: “I’d say three areas: It can solve business problems other shopping carts can’t solve, such as the Build To Order system mentioned above. It contains a lot of time-saving administration tools that can really make the difference on a day-to-day basis, such as automatic synchronization with QuickBooks. And it provides storefront features that can improve the customer experience, such as AJAX-enhanced search that makes for quicker, friendlier searches in the store catalog.”

PeC: Any other thoughts for our readers?

Arrigoni: Your needs may change over time. Go with an ecommerce system that can change (i.e., be customized) as your needs change. Choose robust, proven software like ProductCart that’s been successfully put to the test for years.

Read the Full Article in Practical eCommerce - Cart of the Week: ProductCart

Necessity breeds innovation

E-retailers responded to the recession with a burst of creativity. Here are 10 ways this year’s Hot 100 online merchants kept sales flowing during the downturn.

Read the article in Internet Retailer

Early Impact Blogs About Our New Mod!

We are so pysched about this buzz!
Read what they had to say...
Get this Mod (for ProductCart v3.51 and above)!