Searchers looking for the latest updates - and marketers trying to monitor social mentions of their brands - can now keep track of online chatter across more social platforms with Google Realtime search.

Google Realtime search has added to the list of social forums it culls results from when users are looking for the latest updates. This means searchers who want the most recent buzz – and marketers trying to monitor social mentions of their brands – can now keep track of online chatter across more social platforms with Google Realtime search.

The news first broke on a Quora thread when one user noticed it was possible to see Quora updates through Google Realtime search. In addition to Quora, Google seems to have added Gowalla, Google Buzz, Plixi, Me2day and Twitgoo to its search results. (Also, in case marketers missed it, it's worth noting that public Facebook updates have been available in Google Realtime search for awhile.)

Facebook mentions are part of Google Realtime search results. Google has yet to confirm these updates, but the Realtime search results speak for themselves. Marketers should take this as an opportunity to monitor their brand mentions across a broader spectrum of social platforms. They might also take it as a cue to start sharing their content across more social channels to increase their visibility in search.

As Brafton has reported, Google's Matt Cutts has continuously advocated social media marketing as a way to boost SEO efforts. He cited sharing sharing content on social sites as a top SEO strategy for this year, and he also explained that Google is likely to index content that gets tweeted faster than it would be otherwise.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.