Gilt Groupe: Google’s Controversial Search Changes Are Forcing Us To Take Google+ Seriously
Google is a pretty important source of traffic and revenue for Gilt Groupe, an online retailer.
Google+ has not been.
But, thanks to a new controversial feature called “Search Plus Your World,” which pulls Google+ pages into Google search results, retailers like Gilt are going to have to start worrying about Google+.
That’s what Gilt Groupe marketing exec Jason John said at the Social Commerce Summit in New York today.
Search Plus Your World is a little controversial because it causes Google's search engine — which is used almost ubiquitously — to favor results from people and businesses that use its social network.
That’s caused companies like Twitter to cry foul over the changes, saying it unfairly shifts focus away from other social media channels like Twitter.
Controversy or not, it’s now a reality for businesses that rely on Google’s organic search results as a huge source of traffic and sales, John said. Retailers like Gilt Groupe are among those businesses.
“Search is extremely important to us,” John said. “Google will have its way and we will have to focus on Google+. We launched our presence on Google+ yesterday.”
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