Google gets social with search changes

Google has again tweaked its system by integrating updates from social networks in its search results.

When a user signs into Gmail or another Google profile, updates from sites such as YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, LinkedIn and personal blogs from online peers will be displayed in search results.

Google says in its blog that the new personalised social search “helps you find more relevant public content from your broader social circle.”

How Google search works.

Google product management director of search Mike Cassidy told TechCrunch that in some cases the search results may be depend on how many friends share a link.

Stewart Media chief executive Jim Stewart told SmartCompany that small businesses should to use social networks such as Twitter, as it can significantly speed up the process of spread information through client and customer bases.

“This is simply another reason why businesses should be getting online as fast as they can and start sharing content with others,” says Stewart.

“About two years ago I said that Twitter was bigger than Google. And by that what I mean is that it has completely changed the way Google ranks search results.

“This whole ‘real time marketing’ aspect of everything is changing how Google works.

“Google was always lacking a type of integration with social media and this is the element that Twitter provides to them. This is just an exaggeration of that.”

Twitter, which was recently valued at between $US8-10 billion appears to have the attention of many online companies at present.

“One of the big arguments when Twitter first came out was that it would kill Google. But what Google has just done is combine them. It’s a good move,” Stewart says.