2UNIVERSAL SEARCH 2018: It's a Mobile World After All
We inhabit a universe that is characterized by diversity.
“In an AI-frst world, interactions become even more seamless and natural.”
Sundar Pichai,
Google CEO
Desmond Tutu,
South African theologian
3UNIVERSAL SEARCH 2018: It's a Mobile World After All
1. Executive Summary. ...4
2. How Universal Search Infuences your Mobile Strategy .5
3. The Top Universal Search Integrations for Online Marketers ...12
Number of Organic Results ...........13
Images ..........14
Knowledge Graph ....15
Google Shopping .....16
Google Adwords ......17
Direct Answers ........18
News ..19
AMP and News Integrations .........20
Maps ..21
Videos 22
Mobile Apps .23
4. The Diversity of Universal Search ..24
5. Infographic: Mobile Trends in Universal Search ..31
6. Results at a Glance ...32
Table of Contents
4UNIVERSAL SEARCH 2018: It's a Mobile World After All
The term Universal Search refers to media, information and other links that Google
displays in addition to the classic organic search results.The frst extensions came
from Google’s other vertical search engines: images, maps, news, videos and shop-
ping. Today, there are hundreds of different universal search integrations, the most
important of which are presented in this report.
After a year’s hiatus, Searchmetrics’ Universal Search study returns to examine big
trends in Universal Search. As Google begins its long-awaited Mobile-First transition,
we fnd it is indeed a Mobile World after all. Changes there are coming fast and furi-
ous. The number of organicresults on the frst screen is declining, but searches from
mobile devices and voice searches are on the rise. Maximizing the potential of univer-
sal search on mobile is a core part of online optimization.
The smaller screenson mobile devices mean that universal search integrations are
displayed more prominently than their desktop counterparts. This study shows which
universal search integrations are the most common – pointing to where optimization
can be most effective. Images and videos remain important, and our analysis has also
found a huge increase in the use of knowledge graph integrations.
Optimizing for direct answers, also known as featured snippets, could become essen-
tial to online success in 2018 – not only because of the increase in mobile traffc, but
because of the growth of voice search on smart speaker devices, which often read out
the answer from the website occupying this coveted position.
Any online business looking at search traffc should make optimizing for key universal
search integrations an important part of its strategy.The organic traffc coming from
the “ten blue links” is falling. In desktop search results on Google, there are now
just 8.7 organic links; on mobile, just 8.5.
Desktop8.7
Mobile8.5
ORGANIC LINKS ON 1ST PAGE
Executive Summary。