Google recently made changes to its "Submit Your Content" page, with the goal being to make it easier for people to share their information with the search company.
"As you have put more of your organization's information online, we've introduced more services for organizing and distributing that information. We've heard from a number of you that it's not always clear how to help us find your content — or obvious how users discover your content at Google. Submit Your Content, and this blog, aim to change that," wrote Rick Klau of Google's content partnerships.
Because search engines clearly do a good job of finding Web content — after all that is their main objective — you may think manually feeding your content isn't so important. But given that Google plays such a critical role in e-commerce, considering the majority of shoppers use it to find products, it makes sense to take advantage of any Google submission features out there to be sure that Google is processing all facets of your e-commerce site.
Google has always offered tools for submitting content, but the key features weren't always easy to figure out and news about them, like much of Google's updates, flew mostly under the radar. Google has now reorganized the interface, making it easier to understand the steps in the submission process.
Four Categories for Submitting Content
Here we highlight the new version of the Google site submission page, now organized into four categories: Web, local, media and "items for sale." If you're thinking only the last category is relevant for e-tailers, think again. Each of these categories contain tools, most of them free and fairly easy to use, that can help you optimize your Web shop for Google.
1. Web:
Google describes this entry point as follows: "Increase your visibility by submitting and optimizing your Web site for Google search, and distributing your content across Google and the Web at large." This is where every e-tailer should start, as the basic "Add Your URL" feature is found here, as well as traffic and search optimization tools, found under Webmaster Tools.
One particularly important, and often overlooked, aid in Webmaster Tools is the "submit a Sitemap" feature. This gives Google a blueprint of your site, making it easier to index. In fact, Google recommends the first three steps of any content submission process as: submitting the URL, submitting a Sitemap and listing your business in the Local Business Center. (For more information on Google Sitemaps, see editor's picks and related stories.)
2. Local:
You will want to include your e-commerce information here if location is pertinent to your products or services. For instance, if you sell heavy equipment that can't be delivered, groom or care for pets or provide home spa treatments. And, naturally, if you have a brick-and-mortar store, you need to be listed here. The Mapplets, or mini-applications that run within Google Maps, only take a few minutes to create, and provide you with branded results in Google Maps — and a link back to your site.
3. Media:
This category will serve those who have video at their Web shops, as well as booksellers. There are links to video Sitemaps, YouTube and a book search partner program.
4. Items For Sale:
Obviously, this category is for online store owners. There are links to help you increase traffic, namely Google Product Search, (formerly known as Google Base) as well as a link for product reviews.
The reviews section appears to be in the draft stage; when you click on it you're greeted with the following message and a field of info boxes to fill out: "We are looking to enhance our product pages with supplemental product content that includes editorial reviews, user-generated reviews, product videos, demos etc. If you would like to put your content in front of qualified shoppers and gain content and brand exposure to our vast network of users please fill out the form below. If we find your content to be a good fit, we will contact you as soon as we can."
So, by supplying the information now, you can be one step ahead of the competition when Google starts blending reviews into its Product Search results.
Online Commerce
There is also an "Online Commerce" link at the bottom of the new content submission page, along with some others. Clicking on this provides a summary of pertinent points made in some of the other categories. For instance, you get an explanation of the importance of the Webmaster Tools' Sitemap feature, as referenced above.
To keep current on the tools and information Google is rolling out in relation to content submission, keep the Google Content Central Blog bookmarked. Depending on what you sell, some tools will be more useful than others, but there's little doubt that at least a few found here will increase your Google visibility — and your sales.
Michelle Megna is managing editor of ECommerce-Guide.com.
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