Google is deploying “universal search” – a comprehensive search result that provides semantic results from multiple content sources. Given that a Google search will produce relevant Web pages, blogs, photos, videos, audio clips and other media types when a user types in a search term, can you really optimize for semantic search?

In a word, yes. Optimizing for a semantic search - Yahoo! will be using semantic search algorithms, too – is not only possible, it’s recommended. You’ll want to be certain that you tag your content properly – whether it’s Web pages, videos, photos, audio clips, blogs or anything else – to help the search engines determine the relevance of your content.

That’s something you should be doing anyway – semantics or no semantics. If you could only do one thing to help a search engine find and rate your content, tagging just might be it. Just be certain that your tags are relevant to the content. If you mistag your content, or provide such general tagging that your content gets lost, you’ll be penalized by the search engine. Deliberately misidentifying your content is a good way to get your listing deprecated or removed. Failing to provide specific tags will relegate your content to a no-man’s land where your target audience rarely, if ever, goes.

If you don’t tag your content now, get in the habit of doing it. Think about the tags you’re applying and how they relate to your content. Be specific and accurate when you tag your content and stick to your optimization plan.

Universal search can be a good thing. Will you always hit in all areas? Probably not, but it will help your audience find the content it is looking for quickly and accurately, as long as you do your part!

Photo Credit: Billy Alexander