Google Co-Op Subscribed Links,

At most basic, Subscribed Links provide a way for web publishers to add information to the top of Google search results based on related search "triggers". This is done by web publishers by submitting a subscribed link URL or uploading this file to Google, and by receiving their users to "subscribe" to their own Subscribed Link. The reason why a web publisher would participate in Google Subscribed Links is that it gives web publishers another means to make their content presented to users. Plus, it gives them a means to place their content at the top of Google search results. Here is an example how a Subscribed Link appears in Google Search results:


The area shaded green above the organic search results is the subscribed link result. A publisher wants to get users to subscribe to the feed because it will keep users coming back again and again. Apart from this, feeds that have many subscribers can get incorporated in the Google Co-Op Directory, which brings new users to their site.

The reason why an end user would participate is that by subscribing, users in fact alter their own returned search outcome so that content from sources is brought to the top of their search results much above the "generic" results. For example, if a client likes to travel and find content from major travel web sites to be mainly helpful, they would subscribe to those sites. Thus, they insure that the content of this site is brought to the top of the search results when searching on related keywords.

Extra benefits to end users are that Subscribed Links gives users a potential means to save time. The results which they are seeking may appear in the Subscribed Links results, negating the need to click through, and search the site. These Links also gives end users the facility to "vote" on sites that they find to be valuable. Subscribed Links as well brings benefits to Google. It is because as sites get more subscribers, Google come to see them as more convincing. Google would be able to use this to present high-value, authoritative sites higher in generic search outcome.

An overall benefit is that the content of spam web sites will be pressed down in search results as high-value content is brought up. Web publishers who present sites of no value, or who misuse subscribed links by using inappropriate search triggers to bring up their content, will be "punished" by the end users who won't subscribe to their sites or unsubscribe once they understand that the publisher is not providing any worth. This is the key benefit of socially-vetted web content. As well as publishers of valuable content are rewarded by the society at large and their content is brought to front and low-value content are pushed into the background.

posted by Skarmund @ 5:04 PM permanent link   |

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