Historically, authority in search had come from the weight of brand names, reviews and SEO-friendly work such as backlinks, whereas under the Perspectives tab it is entirely the first-hand experience of the content creator and how useful end users find the information which will give authority. The greater integration of non-text formats within Search taps into one growing area of focus for hospitality and that is the use of video, particularly vertical formats, to provide timely informational content about properties across social channels.
Ultimately however the greater prevalence of video as a go-to source for research and inspiration for travellers will be influenced by one factor which will always remain relevant for hoteliers and that is guest experience. In favouring user generated content within the context of search, Google is providing a platform for real people to provide their reviews to an audience of billions. Getting the guest experience right may be more important than ever.
In addition, Google announced their long awaited integration of AI into the search engine results page on Google. In their words, the aim is to ‘take more of the work out of searching’, by using AI to power Google’s response to users. Surfacing information from across the web into a conversational answer, the idea is that this initial response will prompt users to continue their research whether through dedicated links which evidence where the AI model sourced its information from or by engaging with prompts to question the model further.
Examples so far have focused on eCommerce, providing a response which combines assistance through AI, top products and further questions alongside sponsored product listings but it is easy to see how this could apply in hospitality.