SES Berlin: Google and Microsoft looking for user intent

Tue 24 November 2009 13:07, Bas van den Beld

SES Berlin: Google and Microsoft looking for user intent

The keynote at SES Berlin this morning had the two major search engines speaking and then discussing the state of the search market. With Mike Grehan moderating the Q & A and two short presentations by the search engines we got a nice insight in the way Google and Bing think.

The biggest thing which came back from both talks was user intent. Both search engines are trying to figure out, each in their own way, what users really want.

Lars Lehne (Google)

First up was Lars Lehne from Google. He started by taking his kids as a metaphor. They keep on asking questions, wondering why dad doesn't know it all, he works for Google.

He shows insideyoursearch.com to explain what his kids must think he's doing all day.

Some key elements of his presentation were:
- Search has moved marketing from push to pull
- The increase in measurable
- Gross rating point = Google Rating Point / Search Rating Point
- The more people search the more important relevance
competition is only one click away
- the information you want must be by hand. It has to be mobile
search is missing link between push and pull

He closes with a slight change to a Henry Ford statement: "a man who stops SEM to save money is like a man who stops his watch to stop time."

SES_Berlin-1

Stefan Weitz (Bing)
Microsoft Stefan Weitz got into search because he looked for the biggest challenge: he found search.

The end isn't typing in a keyword and getting results.
It's about enabling people to ask more questions. It should not be about how many links you get.

Weitz adresses 3 problems of search:

Imprecise results
25% of queries result in quick click backs. This actually means the back button is very much used :)
the results are not precise enough

Refinement
42% of sessions need refinement. People continue to refine the searches they make. That's an indication.

Lengthy tasks
Almost 50% of time is spent searching is on these queries.
The average is half an hour pre query. This means very much time is spent searching.

He then adresses how Bing is built Their building Bing in 3 parts:
Core Search
Multimedia, Index Quality, Speed, Relevance
Trying to compete in core search is tough so that is basic. You won't win on that.

Intelligent Organization
Reduce Overload, Sessions not queries
Could be different visualization. Path through or refine through data sets. Break up results.

Decision Tools
Pre Process Web Information, reduce anxiety

Its about understanding user intend

After the short presentations they started a discussion moderated by Mike Grehan. Some points which came forward from the Q&A:

  • Weitz explains user intend is hard to find out but that they can get a lot from history. Gives the example of UPS, if you search on UPS in the US you won't get much results, you just get specific UPS information.
  • Weit also says People expect searches to be correct. That makes it difficult to be good.
  • Lars Lehne says sitelinks have dramaticly improved the CTR.
  • Bing answers about Twitter: what do you do with all the Twitter data? They use Twitter to be more relevant.
  • Google: Twitter is about learning from others about brands
  • Grehan at the end asks the search engines two questions: where should we be concentrating in search?
  • Google: don't give up on classical marketing. Many think search is transactional driven. The big companies are ignoring search but will change their minds in the next coming years.
  • Bing: it's critical to model your pages on the most common tasks people will want to do. Bing looks at what does this site enable people to do?

  • Comments (0)
  • Events
  • Tell-a-cowboy

Comment

  • HTML is not allowed. URLs are automatically clickable.
    * Email address is not shown



  • A Gooogle engineer's perspective on privacy
  • Google Chrome tablet?
  • Google social search feature
  • Is the order of links on a page important for SEO?
  • Matt Cutts on the state of the index at Pubcon
  • Google’s Personalized Search
  • The Google Conspiracy
  • Google ads in Russian bus shelters

Related tweets


Last Comments


Specials

  • My two weeks notice: I'm leaving Searchcowboys Columns

    Bas his two weeks notice: I'm leaving Searchcowboys

  • Guestpost Richard Zwicky: differences in user behavior Guestposts

    Guestpost Richard Zwicky: differences in user behavior

  • Guestpost Dennis Goedegebuure: Content behind the pay wall Guestposts

    Guestpost Dennis Goedegebuure: Content behind the pay wall

  • Getting attention through creative adtexting SEA

    Winner best post of 2009: Getting attention through creative adtexting


Events

Last event
Upcoming event

Bloggers

  • Bas van den Beld
    Bas van den Beld

    Profession: Chief Editor Searchco...

    Company: NetTraject / Searchco...

  • Evert Veldhuijzen
    Evert Veldhuijzen

    Profession: Managing Director Ger...

    Company: Veroworx KG / Onetoma...

  • Jon Myers
    Jon Myers

    Profession: Head of Search / Asso...

    Company: MediaVest

  • Sam Murray
    Sam Murray

    Profession: Senior Search Consultant

    Company: Verve Search



SEO Roadshow
Lisa D Myers
SEO Roadshow: interview wit...

More than a month ago the SEO-Chicks weblog started a contest to find new recruits for their b...


Columns




Agenda

» Mobile World Congress

Barcelona

15 February 2010 / 18 February 2010

» Search Engine Strategies London 2010  SC will be here

London

16 February 2010 / 19 February 2010

» SXSW

Austin, Texas

12 March 2010 / 21 March 2010

» Enterprise Social Media

Olympia London

15 March 2010

» Social Media World Forum

Olympia London

15 March 2010 / 16 March 2010

» Social TV Forum

Olympia London

16 March 2010

» Cloud Computing Congress

Olympia London

16 March 2010


Newsletter

Subscribe to SC Newsletter:


RSS Feed

Follow us on TwitterWinner best post of 2009Lipperhey Free SEO analysisSearchcowboys on Webmasterradio How are the searchengines doing?Biglist SEO

Button_sc_ad


Search


Twitter

» SC Tweetfeed

» Follow SC Tweetfeed



My BlogLog


Flickr

  • DSP-history-of-my-blogDSP-Google-before-you-tweet
  • DSP-Map_UK_internet_visitsDSP-Google-binged
  • DSP-Japanese_maps_weirdnessDSP-Google-Why...
  • DSP-David_Cameron-SEODSP-googolopoly
  • SERP-polution-DennisDSP-Matt-Cutts-Daily-life
» SC on Flickr

Podcasts

    • The SEO-Chicks set up a contest to find new bloggers. Bas van den Beld and Lisa Myers talk to the winners Sarah Goodwin and Nichola Stot.
    • Jon Myers and Bas van den Beld talk to Joanna Butler about A4U Expo London in October 2009
    • Jon Myers and Bas van den Beld talk to Mel Kirk about A4U Expo London in October 2009
    • Jon Myers and Bas van den Beld talk to Gillian Muessig about A4U Expo London in October 2009
    • Jon Myers and Bas van den Beld talk to Lyndon Antcliff about A4U Expo London in October 2009
    • Bas van den Beld talks to Dixon Jones about his session at A4UExpo London 2009
    • Bas van den Beld talks to Christoph Cemper about his session at A4UExpo London 2009
    • Jon Myers and Bas van den Beld talk to Lisa Myers about A4U Expo London in October 2009
    • Jon Myers and Bas van den Beld talk to Will Critchlow about A4UExpo London in October 2009
    • Bas van den Beld talks to Roy Huiskes and Eduard Blacqueire about what happened in search in the past month.
    • In a special Calling UK Dave Naylor and Bas van den Beld discuss the 'case of the Guardian'.
    • Bas van den Beld talks to the German runners up of the Google Online Marketing Challenge
    • Bas van den Beld called with Roy Huiskes and Eduard Blacqueire about what went on in Search in Holland in July
    • Bas van den Beld talkes to Roy Huiskes and Eduard Blacqueire about Search in Holland
    • Bas van den Beld called Dave Naylor to find out what went on in Search in the UK in the last couple of weeks.
    • Bas van den Beld and Roy Huiskes discus what happened in search in Holland in May 2009.
    • Heading up to SMX London next week Searchcowboys' Bas van den Beld got to talk to the keynote speaker, Brian Fetherstonhaugh.
    • Podcast in which Bas van den Beld, Roy Huiskes an Eduard Blacquière discuss what happened in search in Holland in March and April 2009.
    • Bas van den Beld interviewed Andrew Girdwood for the SEO Roadshow.
    • Bas van den Beld called Dave Naylor to find out what Dave thought about what went on in the UK market in February 2009
    • Podcast in which Bas van den Beld, Eduard Blacquière and Roy Huiskes discuss what happened in search in Holland in January 2009.
    • Joost talked to Avinash Kaushik
    • Joost de Valk kicks off the SEO Roadshow by talking to Kevin Ryan, global content director Search Engine Strategies.
  • Rss_small  Subscribe via RSS




© 2010 Searchcowboys.com - All Rights Reserved - All views and opinions expressed are those of the authors of Searchcowboys.

All trademarks, slogans, text or logo representation used or referred to in this website are the property of their respective owners. Sitemap