…and what a CRM has to do with Fraggles
Google knows more and more and will soon be able to understand not only information, flights, hotels, and jobs, but also our financial and medical data, helping us make better decisions. We all appreciate convenience, and we will interact even more with Google's AI, thereby laying the foundation for what the next service will be..
Once upon a time…
Google officially launched as a company in 1998 and has since grown to become one of the five largest companies offering digital content or devices, alongside Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple. When browsing the internet, there's no getting around Google; after all, hardly anyone types a website address directly into their browser anymore, and for the past two years, people have been "talking to things" without being considered crazy.
Today, Google not only provides information but also has projects focused on artificial intelligence and self-driving cars. The downside is the internet giant's need to generate advertising revenue and to collect and catalog private data. Where will this information monopoly, with its offerings of flights, jobs, hotels, and information, lead when we know that these five major companies have a larger domestic product than Switzerland itself?
Google – The all-powerful information provider
Google's original offering consisted of analyzing and ranking websites to deliver exactly what its customers were looking for. At first glance, the service appears free for users. The company finances itself through advertisements tailored to the user based on collected data. Alphabet (the parent company behind the "search engine" or "ads") has a great profit margin on this. The Visual Capitalist
The Silicon Valley company is currently funding the development of the internet. Today, with Google Assistant, it offers answers to spoken and written questions. The company's artificial intelligence is already advanced enough to analyze text content for meaning, tone, and clarity, and to connect the dots. All these technological advances could be seen as a clear sign that we have arrived in the future – after all, 2022 is just around the corner, and that's when flying cars will be here.
But if we read the graphic above correctly and delve deeper: Google's interest in retaining users on its own site to generate more advertising revenue could have more far-reaching consequences for certain industries than one might think, because thanks to Google, it's already possible to compare hotels transparently and easily – actually a good thing, but what comes next?
Google Hotels, Flights, Jobs
Instead of searching for websites that compare flight prices, job offers, or hotels, why not find the offer directly on Google? The internet's multifunctional tool offers a service for hotels and accommodations, job searches, and flights to your holiday destination that is comparable to, or even better than, existing providers. If a flight price changes, the searcher is automatically notified via email to their Gmail account, can select desired stopovers and flight times on a map with a click, or find the cheapest and best hotels directly on-site. Those who know nothing must believe everything, and those who can't remember go to Google. Is loyalty rewarded? Yes, by Google—but by whom else?
What happens to the middlemen?
The job search clearly shows the consequences: Google's artificial intelligence scans job boards for current listings, thereby reducing the visitor numbers of other providers. The provider Monster has reportedly seen a 30% drop in traffic since the release of Google's job market – even though the information on Google also comes from Monster.
The problem: Payment isn't based on information provided, but rather on when advertisements on the provider's website are viewed, clicked, or accommodations are booked. As soon as the number of clicks on Google's service dominates, hotels, travel agencies, and similar businesses will be overcharged. their offers and advertising It's better to list directly with Google. Providers like Monster, Stepstone, Trivago, Fluege.de, and others will thus first lose visitor numbers and then advertising revenue until they gradually disappear from the internet—even if they previously voluntarily provided information to Google. This could also have consequences for the search for information, as is already evident from plans for the new stroke of genius. Fraggles is becoming apparent.
Simple and direct with Fraggles
Google's future plans to improve its search offering are characterized by the new service. Fraggles Those who grew up in the 1980s might remember Fraggles as the colorful puppet characters from the children's show "Fraggle Rock," created by Muppet inventor Jim Henson. In the SEO field, the term is now experiencing a revival – albeit under different circumstances: Fraggle here refers to a content fragment that, thanks to a kind of bookmark function, can be individually targeted by Google and integrated into the search results page at various points.
The term Fraggle as Combination of fragment and handle The term was coined by US SEO expert Cindy Krum to vividly illustrate to the community that search engines will soon provide information differently than the industry is used to: In the future, granular information will be organized around specific entities and no longer around domains or URLs (Source: t3n).
On the Google provides the knowledge graph Even today, important information is displayed directly on the search results page. Authenticated users can add to this information, similar to a branded Google wiki. Users no longer need to click through to the website. The plan is to display information even more directly and allow users to browse through possible sources – see weather, flights, financial data, etc. Searchers will then find information quickly and, above all, without having to leave Google's offerings. So, what do we need to do to ensure that Google continues to consider us in search results in the future and thus doesn't jeopardize our own long-term existence? We have to provide Google with data (now and immediately), but tomorrow we'll be visible online, but nobody will click on it anymore? What happens then?
The future of search lies in individual pieces of information that are meaningfully compiled by search engines to give users the most helpful answer – an answer so good that users no longer need to browse to individual websites.
You can find more information here at Cindy Krum
Good for convenience
The sought-after homepage, direct answers to questions, emails, maps with navigation, translations and videos – Google's service can already be found on every smartphone, tablet and computer today, and the information presentation is appreciated. WE LOVE FRAGGLES! Because none of us has more time and we all like to be comfortable, and we will talk even more to Google's AI, thereby providing the basis for what the next service should be. WE LOVE GOOGLE FLIGHTS!
The fact that the company analyzes massive amounts of private data, such as movement profiles, browsing behavior, and consumer behavior, almost seems secondary due to the simplicity and convenience of the service. We can compare, filter, click, and browse. WE LOVE GOOGLE HOTELS!
Operators of job sites, comparison portals, websites and also internet agencies are dependent on Google's service, especially in English-speaking countries, due to its high influence. They optimize their offerings to still perform well in search queries and appear as a source in the direct answers, and we are urgently looking for jobs and now Google is showing us the results? WE LOVE GOOGLE JOBS!
And what does that mean for business?
Let's scroll back up to my presentation. The question that arises for me is: if Google eliminates the middlemen and becomes the know-it-all, how important will our CRM and the knowledge of how much customer acquisition costs become?
If we already know today that we constantly have to answer questions and that digital competence means listening and explaining, when was the last time we did that online? Have you ever asked yourself what customer acquisition costs you today – and tomorrow? What does it cost you to retain a customer, or if they simply stop coming back?
Using the simple example of the Google search engine, which now offers hotel guests the opportunity to view offers transparently and easily, you might notice a few things. When will your industry follow suit?
