But there are other areas within Google which also appear at the top of the results. These include Froogle - Google's shopping search engine - and Google Local - Google's search engine for local results.

But there is a new Google property which is virtually untapped (unless you consider porn sites). That is Google Base.

From Google Base's FAQ:

"Google Base is a place where you can easily submit all types of online and offline content that we''ll host and make searchable online. You can describe any item you post with attributes, which will help people find it when they search Google Base. In fact, based on the relevance of your items, they may also be included in the main Google search index and other Google products like Froogle, Google Base and Google Local."

In other words, Google Base is a wide open database which allows you to post anything you want from personal information to recipes to blog entries to commercial listings. Anything you can think of could go into Google Base.

So how does one tap into this area?

Well, you can go in and manually post individual items. But if you have a large e-commerce site I'd recommend signing up for a Google account (if you don't already have one). This allows you to create feeds for your listings, much like you'd create a product feed for Froogle.

There is no cost to posting items in Google Base and, as time goes on, I'd expect we'll see Google Base results appearing in the regular search results much like Froogle, News and Local results do now.

Imagine that - having your listing appear above those of our competitors merely because you have a Google account and have placed items in Google Base.

Base allows you to upload listings including detailed descriptions and images and you can even add attributes (or what I like to call tags) to the listing. You can't upload documents like PDF's or videos (yet) but you can provide a link to the original item. That way, when your result appears in a search, it will have a link to your site directly.

Overall I think Google Base is an opportunity waiting to happen. As more and more sites realize the power of Google Base they will tap into it.

The argument that it won't drive enough traffic to warrant the investment doesn't fly with me. The time to get into an emerging market is when it's on the ground floor, just like Base is today. Those who want to wait until Base gets noticed by appearing more regularly in the SERPs will miss the boat on this opportunity.

So if you've got a database driven site and a Google account, why not invest a little time in researching what you can use Google Base for. If you look at it as an opportunity with huge future potential, I think you will find that it can be a great way to bring even more visitors to your site.


Rob Sullivan
Head Organic Search Strategist
Enquiro Full Service Search Engine Marketing

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