It’s still uncertain when Google Glass will take off, but search marketing experts at SMX East 2013 assert that its success is indeed inevitable – within the right audiences. Brafton previously reported that only 10 percent of Americans who own smartphones said they would be willing to wear Google Glass all the time. While this is a slim margin of the entire population, it backs the claim that certain demographics will embrace the technology.
Before adoption takes hold, brands have the opportunity to preemptively create campaigns that fit in with new search and content consumption habits.
Glass changes the way wearers’ interact with the world
The fact that Google Glass changes behaviors and interactions is one thing the panel – Danny Sullivan, Barry Schwartz, Matt McGee and Reva McEachern – agreed upon.
McGee said the biggest change is that he no longer has to look down at a phone or computer screen to read or respond to content in real-time.
Other primary benefits of the wearable technology:
- Seamless photo and video capture while still engaging in surroundings
- Google Now technology makes predictive suggestions about directions, nearby restaurants
- Getting real-time information
Hands-free for real-time communication and consumption
Schwartz agreed that hands-free tweeting and email responses were top value-adds for the wearable device, but he predicts the technology will offer other (commercial) benefits as brands discover how their products and services can be promoted on the interface.
As an example, McGee pulled up Sherwin William’s new application designed for Google Glass, which allows wearers to submit photos of items and scenes and receive a color palette matching the hues in the image. While novel at first glance, this feature demonstrates Glass’ potential. Brands that figure out how to leverage recognition technology can easily share and market products to consumers.
But is it useful for SEO?
It may not be immediately obvious how Google Glass will revolutionize the way internet users consume web content or how marketers advertise products, but it’s likely those connections will surface once the product is rolled out to the public. Until now, the device’s full potential has remained unrealized because optimized applications hadn’t yet been developed. As more functions are created for Google Glass, the device’s benefits are becoming more evident.
For instance, McGee said: “This was the first device that helped me understand everything Google has done in the past few years… [with developing the] Knowledge graph.”
“This was the first device that helped me understand everything Google has done in the past few years… [with developing the] Knowledge graph.”
GoLoMo
As Google further develops its natural language processing technology and predictive search functions, Glass could become an implement for connecting convertible consumers with nearby vendors. Even if brands don’t cater to audiences that are likely to adopt Google Glass in their routine search habits, local SEO is becoming more important as mobile internet use climbs.
Brafton recently reported that 63 percent of adults with cell phones use their mobile devices to access the internet and Google has said mobile SEO will play an increasingly influential role in search success. These trends seem to be moving in the same direction and marketers may want to consider how their content and search strategies can be developed to play into these developments.
