In the latter half of 2011, Google initiated a number of changes. These initiatives will be pushed throughout the coming year. Google being the biggest online advertising platform in the world, it is important for an internet marketing firm to remain on top of these changes. Although Google does not own all the data in the world, it possesses methods of accessing it and the ability of advertising to the individuals who utilize this access.
The search engine giant has come up with a new data structuring method for websites, which enables its crawlers to pull up information more efficiently. Documentation of information as per this new format is likely to boost search rankings. Changes are also being implemented in search result pages. The users are being eased into the changed format. For instance, the result pages now offer more direct information. In the coming months users will no longer need to visit a site to find answers for direct questions. This can make the search process faster and more convenient the users. However, marketers who depend on users visiting their sites and clicking through to deeper web pages will be disappointed.
The data offered by the search engine to marketers is also reducing. Google now looks upon data ownership as a competitive advantage and is trying to protect it from advertising networks. Since October, the data regarding where and how Google users found their site has been unavailable to marketers. It is very likely that the search giant will continue expanding such changes and further restricting available data in 2012.