Blog #2. Would you like some Google fries with that?

Barry’s podcast on “Google Suggest” shed light on the recent importance of search engine marketing. Specifically, it is important for companies to team up with Google as Google begins to dynamically decode the words that consumers type in to search engines and produce Google biased search results. By doing this, Google can easily control the websites consumers go to and, therefore, control the products and advertisements consumers see.

It seems there are huge opportunities for Google here. In a simple example, a consumer types in the words “chocolate chip cookie recipe” into the Google search engine. The team at Google can process the words “chocolate” and “chip” and bring back top results for Nestle. Nestle would have to pay Google a lot of money, but, I’d say it’s worth it to have your product bombarding consumers every time they think of chocolate chip cookies. In the same example, Google could process the words “chocolate” and “cookie” to bring back results for Oreos. Even if the consumer wasn’t thinking Oreo when they started the search, Google has completely changed their mind now, and they run to the store for some cookie sandwiches and a glass of milk. And, Oreo owes Google some cash for helping make the sale!

“Google Suggest” is almost the same process but much faster. I start typing in “chocolate chip cookie recipe” and as soon as I start typing “cho…” I see “chocolate cake.” Now, I start to think: was it really chocolate chip cookies I wanted? Or do I want to make that delicious Betty Crocker chocolate cake? Once again, Google has persuaded me to change my mind and Betty Crocker owes Google big time!

My scenario is obviously ridiculous and extreme; however, companies could not ignore the subconscious thoughts of their customers. As much as I want to claim to not be influenced and swayed by internet marketing, I’m sure I never would have subscribed to netflicks had I not been surfing facebook aimlessly the other day.

Furthermore, Google is a trusted and respected search engine among most people I know. Titling their new service “Google Suggest” personifies Google as an e-friend. It is as if Google has gone out in to the world and experienced all of these real-life things, and now it wants to come back and “suggest” its favorite things for you to experience as well.

I can picture my friends and me sitting around on Saturday night debating where to go for dinner. One after another, names of our frequently visited restaurants are thrown around until someone asks: Well, what does Google suggest? Someone grabs a computer and starts the search and it only takes typing “res” before Google spits out: “restaurants in Austin, Texas, Carmelo’s.” None of us have ever been to Carmelo’s before, but if Google suggested it, it must be good!

Once again, it is an extreme. But I do not think we can underestimate the power Google has persuade us. And, I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing. “Google Suggest” will provide yet another outlet for marketing and another way for businesses to get their name out there. It will continue to advance competition and hopefully stimulate consumer buying over the internet.

Google has something big here. They have created their own Google network, and there are so many loyal “googlers” that they can heavily influence by making Google suggestions.