![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.adprosmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Google-Real-Time-Search-Twitter.png?resize=379%2C207&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nGoogle is always looking for new ways to improve the way we search for information online. The constant change in their algorithm updates can be frustrating for marketers. However, in the end, these updates help to create a better customer experience which is good for everyone.<\/p>\n
Over the years, Google has done a lot to change the way we consume information. But for all of their forward progress, there have been algorithm updates that have fallen short. Such was the case with Google\u2019s \u201cReal-Time\u201d update.<\/p>\n
We have so much information at our fingertips now. Our phones have made it possible to have everything from a ride to the airport to food from our favorite Thai restaurant right to our front door in no time flat.<\/p>\n
You could say, we\u2019ve been used to getting things fast.<\/p>\n
Information is no different. There was a time when we\u2019d have to wait for the morning paper or evening news to find out what\u2019s going on in the world. But thanks to the internet and social media, we\u2019ve become used to getting information much faster.<\/p>\n
Google saw this need for instant information and decided to great an algorithm update around it. While past algorithms did allow users to see \u201cnews\u201d relevant to their search, this Google algorithm update would focus on producing up-to-the-minute results. That way, instead of reading \u201cyesterday\u2019s news\u201d users would receive breaking information.<\/p>\n
When the Real-Time Update was announced, many people were excited. Instead of having to search over multiple sites for the latest details on important current events, we could have it all in one place with a simple Google search.<\/p>\n
Great, right?<\/p>\n
Then why did Google scrap the Real-Time algorithm update just over a year after launching it? Read on for the whole story.<\/p>\n
Realizing that they needed to do more to satisfy users\u2019 need for up-to-date information, Google decided to make a big change to the way their algorithms handle breaking news and current events.<\/p>\n
Typically at the forefront of the information search game, this was one of the rare occasions when Google found that they were falling behind the competition.<\/p>\n
Back then Twitter was, for many, the go-to place for breaking news. This was thanks to a constant flow of user-generated information, and the ease of tracking current events with hashtags. Twitter was the perfect place to go if you wanted up-to-the-second details about a particular news story.<\/p>\n
Google just couldn\u2019t compete.<\/p>\n
Even their competitors like Bing saw the need for better breaking news search solutions. They brokered a deal with Facebook and Twitter to status updates from their websites in Bing search results in real time.<\/p>\n
On December 7, 2009, Google announced an algorithm update that would add real-time results to certain search queries. Similar to Bing, these results would come from top social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.<\/p>\n
Today, we know Facebook is a great source up-to-date information on current events, but back then, Twitter was king when it came to breaking news.<\/p>\n
Past Google algorithm updates did give weight to pages that were deemed as having \u201ccurrent information\u201d. However, search results for a news story would be a mix of content that was anywhere from a day to months old.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re trying to get details on current events, that simply won\u2019t do.<\/p>\n
By making their own deal with Twitter, Google could offer users status updates on current events in real time. The updates that would earn the top stop in a Google search ranged from influential users to status updates that were upvoted via social engagement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The success the Real-Time update depended on Google\u2019s relationship with core social media sites. However, their deal with Twitter didn\u2019t last.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t know all the details about why Twitter and Google parted ways, but by walking away, Twitter effectively made the Real-Time update useless.<\/p>\n
By July 2011, Real-Time Search was no more.<\/p>\n
Google would later try to replace the value that Twitter brought to the table by launching their own social network site, Google+.<\/p>\n
However, as we know now, Google+ would not become the success that Google had hoped.<\/p>\n
Today, Google still gives a lot of weight to websites with \u201cthe latest\u201d information. However, they are still not quite as quick social media sites when it comes to breaking news.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.adprosmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Google-Real-Time-Search.png?resize=345%2C168&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
Although this algorithm did not stand the test of time, there\u2019s a valuable lesson we can learn from the rise and fall of Real-Time Search.<\/p>\n
Google put themselves in a vulnerable position by relying on third parties, mainly Twitter, to be successful.<\/p>\n
Once Twitter pulled out, there was nothing they could do. What promised to be a great feature for their users was gone in an instant an there\u2019s nothing they could do about it.<\/p>\n
As website managers or SEO professionals, we often get excited about the latest SEO hacks.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s so easy to fall into a pattern of following the latest tips and tricks. Then after a short time you watch your traffic plummet when the next big Google algorithm comes along.<\/p>\n
If we can take anything from the history of Real-Time search, it\u2019s that we can\u2019t put all our eggs in one basket when it comes to SEO.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.adprosmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/seo-2192823_1280.png?resize=304%2C237&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
SEO trends are great, but it\u2019s important that your web presence has a strong foundation so you\u2019re not always at Google\u2019s mercy.<\/p>\n
As for Real-Time Search, the update may be a thing of the past but our need for instant information is bigger than ever. Today all major websites understand the importance of creating streams of up-to-date content.<\/p>\n
Social media sites are changing the way we find the latest news. It wasn\u2019t too long ago that Facebook created the \u201cBreaking News\u201d feature that highlighted stories that were just unfolding in their Newsfeed.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.adprosmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Facebook-Breaking-News-2.png?resize=359%2C160&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
As a local business owner, there are ways you can get into the \u201cbreaking news\u201d game as well.<\/p>\n
Pay attention to the latest news in your niche. For example, if you run a pediatrician practice and see an influx of patients coming in with the same cold symptoms, share that information with your audience.<\/p>\n
For more tips on how you can become the go-to local expert in your field, contact us today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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