Google TV has arrived, and the internet-enabled television platform will require marketers to make some big changes in how they optimize their sites. As the online surfing experience moves from monitors to TV screens, businesses must make sure they're ready for sofa searchers, and Google is offering some best-practice tips on site optimization for TV.
Google TV is offered as a set-top box from Logitech, as well as an included element in select Sony televisions. Brafton reported that Google TV brings search marketing to the living room, since the platform allows users to browse the internet as they would on a computer while they watch television. Remotes serve as mini keyboards, so Americans can search from their recliners.
So what does this mean for site optimization? Google offers marketers some basic guidelines on what it means to optimize for TV. To start, it's important to remember that text has to be large enough to view easily from sofa to screen. The company also says it should be clear when site elements are selected, and site navigation should be feasible via the arrows offered on Google TV remotes.
In addition to optimizing sites for Google TV, marketers may want to consider taking out video ads for their brands. If users of the internet-ready television platform find their favorite shows aren't playing, they can switch to streaming episodes available on YouTube, Hulu or Amazon, and online video ads may pay off.
According to the most recent comScore data, internet video ads reached nearly half (45.4 percent) of the U.S. population last month.
