BRINGO Blog

Here’s an good article in Search Engine Land that summarizes the evolution of search and how it is changing how people look for products and services online:

http://searchengineland.com/071127-091128.php

Danny Sullivan has put “universal search” or “blended” search in the “Search 3.0″ category, which basically means that the search engines can now break down and show search results from more specific “vertical” search engines (such as news or shopping) that may give a closer approximation to what the user is looking for. According to Sullivan, the next generation of search includes personalization and social networking (a vague notion of social networking).

Of course this is all very search-engine-centric. As we’ve seen with our clients — much vertical search and social networking (predominantly in the form of reviews) is already happening today on directories, local sites, and social sites.

The key for local healthcare providers is being visible not only in search engines (which are an important part of any search marketing strategy), but also across a wide variety of sites where qualified searches for healthcare providers are happening in their area.