Google launches Universal Search

UPDATE: As predicted, Google is unveiling a new, Google.com search strategy dubbed Universal Search: 

Google’s vision for universal search is to ultimately search across all its content sources, compare and rank all the information in real time, and deliver a single, integrated set of search results that offers users precisely what they are looking for. Beginning today, the company will incorporate information from a variety of previously separate sources – including videos, images, news, maps, books, and websites – into a single set of results. At first, universal search results may be subtle. Over time users will recognize additional types of content integrated into their search results as the company advances toward delivering a truly comprehensive search experience.

Read more below about how Google News will be integrated, as I projected last week, below.

ALSO: Why Google Search will NOT rule the Universe! and SEM Beware: Google deals blow to search engine marketing and Google Search: Big, bad multi-billion dollar sandbox

GOOGLE.COM SERPs GET NEWS & IMAGES 

MAY 9, 2007 Google News is NOT newspaper driven: Zell vs. Schmidt I said exactly one month ago.

Google News is indeed NOT newspaper driven, I reiterate: Google News is Google driven, Google.com that is.

Poor Sam Zell I noted last month: The blogosphere has been quick to come to Google’s defense by suggesting that billionaire Zell must be a dunce picking a fight. After all, conventional Google is God/King wisdom is that Google doesn’t even make money from Google News.

So much for conventional wisdom? Why would Google be in the Google News game, after all, if there wasn't money in it, for Google.

My argument last month:

Google does not serve AdWords at Google News is the much too obvious, facile retort to the Tribune, AFP and AP demands for appropriate compensation for exploitation of copyright content by Google.

Google evidently does not show ads at Google News now, and it may very well never do so. Why? Because the Google “organize ALL the world’s information” business model does not necessitate it to do so!

Google News headlines are returned in Google SERPS, however, before the “organic” results and high-priced Google AdWords ARE shown on such Google pages where newspaper copyright content is featured.

Google News is obviously a vital component of the Google long-term end game to be the ONLY source, destination and repository to find and search for anything and everything in the world.

Google is now demonstrating just how vital Google News content really is to its multi-billion dollar Google.com search advertising AdWords franchise, big time.

In place of one of the ten "organic" Web search results on its standard Google.com SERPs, Google is now returning a "OneBox" style Google News feature instead.

In a search for "lawsuit," the number four Google SERP result, which ordinarily would be the fourth "most relevant" Web page for the query "lawsuit," is now a Google OneBox style display, excerpting Google News content.

The Google News results excerpted for return within the top ten Google.com SERP include "snippets" of third-party copyright news content, several third-party news headlines from Google News and a thumbnail of a third-party copyright image.

Sam Zell, time for another shout-out to Eric Schmidt?

The "old" Google.com OneBox Google News way:

Your search results page is packed with information. Here's a quick guide to decoding it.

Each underlined item is a search result that the Google search engine found for your search terms. The first item (not counting News results) is the most relevant match we found, the second is the next-most relevant, and so on down the list.

OneBox Results Google's search technology finds many sources of specialized information. Those that are most relevant to your search are included at the top of your search results. Typical OneBox results include news, stock quotes, weather and local websites related to your search.

When searching on Google you may see links at the top of your results marked "News". These links connect you to reports culled from numerous news services Google continuously monitors. The links appear if the terms you enter are words currently in the news and clicking on them will take you directly to the service supplying them.

Displacing top ten "organic" Web page results within Google SERPs with Google News features, is, then, a new way of doing Google News "business."  Moerover, News "headlines" are not only returned within Google SERPs, but News "snippets" and images as well.

Put another way, "Google Help" currently says: News Headlines "Enhances your search results with the latest related news stories." Now, however, the Google search results will BE the "latest related news stories."

Ah, just another Google test, some (and even Google) may say, and so it may very well be, for now.

Nevertheless, Google's motivations are clear, ALL the world's information WILL go through Google.com, including the "News" of third-party media organizations.

Google is determined to make sure that is is not viewed "merely" as the search engine of choice.

Google is doing all in its power to be considered the default Web destination for each and every information need, want or desire of each and every person in the world, "enhanced" by multi-billion dollars worth of Google AdWords, of course.

ALSO: Why Google Search will NOT rule the Universe! and SEM Beware: Google deals blow to search engine marketing and Google Search: Big, bad multi-billion dollar sandbox