Google’s new search algorithm patent named “TV Rank” stands to change the way marketers relate to potential consumers.

Filed in June 2011 and granted September 2014, the patent is described as a “way to enhance user search results on a device, based on what a user may be watching in proximity.”

Google of course uses a variety of signals to determine what users experience in search results including:

• geographic location
• linking patterns
• individual search history

and now what you are watching on TV.

What Does This Mean For Marketers

While this patent does not seem to be developed to influence product advertisements, marketing companies can take advantage of the new, patented process by creating more optimal marketing materials for consumers to engage with.

TV Rank stands to possibly change the way marketers reach new and potential consumers through the marriage of search results and television content.

Based on the relevancy of what a particular consumer is searching for, this development could be a driving factor for increasing qualified traffic for businesses and brands who are able to invest in offline and online marketing/advertising.

How Brands Benefit From TV Rank

With “TV Rank”, brands can enhance their marketing strategies to coincide and compliment their offline marketing campaigns through sponsored television advertising.

Companies are now able to capitalize on the consumer interest of a precise moment, giving their products a better chance of populating in search results. This connection between TV and online search stands to significantly influence consumer behavior from click-thru-rate to transactions, as consumers can immediately react to what see and follow through whatever steps brands are looking for in their path of conversion.

Brands can also take advantage of this unique opportunity by optimizing television commercials in a way where users are directed on each specific step dedicated to driving their attention from the television screen to a mobile or desktop device.

This offline integration is something that is currently seen with brands like Esurance and Geico where users are confronted with branded ads that demonstrate how consumers should search online, as well as what specific actions they need to take in order to become a customer.

The difference between what these brands have been doing and opportunities exist now is that web advertising can be used to ensure that a particular brand’s products remains in the recommended top queried search results.

Where Is This Going

The process involved with “TV Rank” allows offline marketers to now be brought into the digital conversation through the complete integration between search and the most powerful advertising medium, television.

How will your company incorporate the new search experience to benefit your ongoing marketing campaign and increase consumer traffic?

By: Jason Corrigan