How to perform better in Google's Refined Results.
 by Casey Markee

How to perform better in Google's Refined Results.

  • I have recently noticed that Google produces a Refine results for: parameter for certain searches, such as SARS.

    Clicking on a particular phrase, such as Tests/Diagnosis then results in a search like sars more:tests_diagnosis

    Where do these results come from, and what do I need to do to ensure that I do well in these refined searches?

Answer: A Great question. Understanding these refined searches means understanding how Google Co-Op program works. Google Co-op is a platform that allows users to customize the search experience for other Google-users as well as users of a site's own Google Custom Search Engine.

With this SARS search (mentioned above) you're seeing what's called topic category labels. Topics are specific search areas that Google is developing with the help of expert contributors. Contributors to topics annotate websites that they think are especially useful, relevant, or authoritative with pre-defined category labels.

These labels appear as links at the top of search results pages when users search for something related to the topic. Users can click these labels to refine their search results, giving priority to sites that have been labeled by topic contributors.

There's a few ways you can optimize for these refined results:

  • Sign-up directly with Google Co-op and start contributing to this specific topic and any others you may want to impact. This provides a direct way for you to boost your own site in this specific search result, although Google's anti-spam prevention will limit how effective this approach actually is.
  • You can also start a socia...

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