Since the launch of Universal Search in 2007, Google has included video listings within its search engine results pages (SERPs) in response to changes in competitor functionality. Video listings have been assimilated with images, news, maps and other results for a growing number of search queries.

Search engines are including ever more video results, and one or more video listings on the SERP have become commonplace. Google sets the agenda for mainstream search engines, and the rise in popularity of sites like www.youtube.com and www.blinkx.com means that video has become a very powerful online medium – ripe for a mass distribution advertising model.

Despite the move to search media integration, questions still remain. How fully can video be realized as an online marketing channel? How will video integrate with existing search formats?

In light of these issues, marketers must create and optimize various forms of online media – such as videos and images – to communicate information about their products and services, as universal integration has raised the importance of these channels. Once a text-based environment, content available on the Internet and in the search engines has evolved and diversified.

As the search industry front runner, Google has been exploring integration feasibilities for some time, injecting non-text media into both organic and paid search listings. Yahoo and Microsoft’s Live Search also offer video search results, although not as advanced in its SERP implementation as Google. For the best chance to appear in all the major engines’ search listings, advertisers should ensure videos are properly optimized and, where possible, obtain significant distribution among video sites.

YouTube is by far the most popular video site online, but there are several others that can be used for the purposes of video distribution. Many video sites are targeted to specific audiences based on the type of content they contain, but consider the following list of video sites:

•    Google Video – www.video.google.com  
•    Break - www.break.com
•    Metacafe - www.metacafe.com
•    Yahoo! Video – www.video.yahoo.com
•    AOL Video – www.video.aol.com
•    Expo TV - www.expotv.com
•    Blinkx – www.blinkx.com

Leveraging Video Online
While the demand for video content online is evident, how can this medium be employed for uses beyond content promotion and views? There are obvious benefits to making films, television programming and other unique video content accessible online. Many industries can benefit from this new form of content distribution.

In order to successfully make use of video search, the relevancy of content to target consumers must be considered. In many cases, any and all available video content can be placed online. This includes existing television commercials, instructional videos or even custom videos created for public relations purposes.

Video content must also maintain a certain standard so as not to be rejected by the intended audience. In order to find success in search placement, searchers must perceive videos as reflective of their search criteria – whether information, entertainment or education. In paid search, smart advertisers may thrive by matching video content with keyword categories.

Article by Paul McDevitt and Martin Vinter
 

While the jury is out on whether Al Gore  "invented the internet," its impact on Presidential elections has accelerated to a new level since he ran in  2000. In the past, campaign workers would likely be asked to participate in a call bank or door-to-door campaigning. This time around, many will instead be incessantly "Googling", “twittering”, and “facebooking” as part of their grass roots duties.  If you search for “Barack Obama”, his Twitter profile ranks 6th behind his MySpace page.

Reputation management has also become a necessary tactic for both parties' candidates as the influence of bloggers increases. The information a searcher sees at the top of their search results may be the upshot of teams of partisans with strong technical skills.
 
Last month, Barack Obama's team announced that they had hired internet reputation management strategists to fight the many internet rumors going around about his background and beliefs. It was recently reported that a liberal blogger was "Google Bombing" John McCain's search results.
 
As the number of potential voters turning to the internet for election information overtakes newspapers to become the second most popular way to get information (behind only TV), there is no doubt that both parties will be continuing to invest strongly in internet reputation management. When the final tally is announced on November 4th, it is assured that the search engines will have played a role in the outcome.

Article by Cathy Burke

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