Google Books Vertical Getting a Big Push in Search Results, Clogging Up SERPs

Much like Google created a onebox for music, Seth Godin noticed they are now aggressively pushing onebox results for book searches. With Universal search, these verticals not only hit the top of the results, but also backfill in the organic results.

I searched Google for college * grant and 15 of the top 30 results were from books.google.com! I couldn't reproduce a screenshot with 15 out of 30, but did get this one with 13 out of 30. Sure that is an obscure query, but how long until books show up more heavily for popular queries? It is almost worth setting up a quasi-publishing house to publish no name authors with Earth-moving tomes like:

• Texas Holdem Poker, Blackjack, and Other Easy & Legal Ways to Make a Living Online
• Forex Uncovered: Make Millions Trading Currency in Your Underwear
• Online Pornography Review: The Complete Picture Guide to the Hottest Adult Fetish, Genres, Niches, & Sub-niches
• Buy Viagra Online: Why is it so Cheap and Easy?
• Call Viva, the Las Vegas Stripper: the Best Deals in Travel, Hotels, Shows, Girls, Escorts, Coupons & More from a Girl Who Knows the Town

The seedier the industry the more value there is in having a book published, but can books contain affiliate links? ;)

If Google is willing to give 20% of a search result to books (carrying Google ads), 20% to video (carrying Google ads), 10% to news results, 10% to Wikipedia, 10% to .gov, and 10% to .edu then suddenly we are all fighting for crumbs. In a market like that, perhaps the top 1 or 2 players get a near monopoly advantage, and thus becoming a leading blog (or other leading editorial voice) makes even more sense than it does in the current marketplace.

Published: August 26, 2007 by [Aaron Wall](/content/user/aaron-wall "View user profile."/index.html) in publishing & media