By Andy Weatherwax and Adam Sherk, Global Strategies International

Google's launch of Google Co-op (http://www.google.com/coop) back in May was greeted with enthusiasm, but also a lot of confusion. Many people had difficulty understanding just what it was and how best to use it. Several months later, it is still very much an emerging service, although it is one with very interesting potential.

Some of you may already be participating in Co-op, for others it might be something new. We'll walk you through the basics of what it is and how it works, then show how WCT partners can take advantage of Co-op's opportunities.

What is Google Co-op?

Google defines Co-op as "a platform which enables you to use your expertise to help other users find information" and "a community of organizations, businesses, and individuals working together to help improve Google search. The benefit to you as a Google user is new ways to quickly refine your searches to find what you're looking for more quickly."

Think of Co-op as community-built vertical search with two main types of participants: users (searchers) and contributors (experts). Essentially, contributors are experts on a particular topic who help users to refine their search results when searching on that topic.

Co-op for Searchers

Users participate in Co-op by "subscribing" to experts who cover specific topics. Subscribers benefit by getting additional links and labeled listings in their Google search results pages, helping them to refine searches related to that topic. The topics Google currently features in Co-op include lifestyle, health, information, news and travel. Many more topics exist and a limitless number can be created by the community, but these are the ones that Google is highlighting at this time.

Users can subscribe to a particular contributor from the Co-op directory (http://www.google.com/coop/directory) or through a link that the contributor has given them.

Once a user has subscribed to a contributor, "subscribed links" from that expert will appear at the top of their Google search results pages for search queries that relate to contributor's area of expertise. To illustrate this, a user who has subscribed to travel contributor OpenTable.com and does a Google search on "San Francisco" might see this at the top of the search results page:

A subscribed link looks similar to a paid listing, but it is essentially a recommended listing that the user has subscribed to receive from that specific contributor. Users can easily remove subscribed links or modify their subscriptions right from the search results page.

In addition to subscribed links, Co-op provides users with "refined results" for related queries. So the user who searched on "San Francisco" would also see this near the top of the search results page:

Clicking on a category will bring up search results that have been labeled and thus recommended by Co-op's travel contributors (all travel contributors, not just the ones the user has subscribed to). Clicking on the "Lodging guides" link shown above would bring up a new, refined page of search results with listings that look like this:

These listings were labeled as "Lodging guides" by Co-op contributors, meaning those experts endorse these pages as quality, relevant content on that topic.

In essence, Co-op provides a way for searchers to create specialized vertical search engines, selecting preferred vertical search providers or using the main Google index.

Co-op for Contributors

Contributors, the topical experts, participate in Co-op by creating subscribed links, annotating (labeling) Web content and suggesting appropriate query refinements for a topic. They create specialized search for their topic and help users to refine their searches and better find what they are looking for. Contributors benefit by being able to showcase their own relevant content, and over time can improve their visibility and gain recognition as an expert source on a topic.

Google is currently featuring only a limited number of contributors in the Co-op Directory (http://www.google.com/coop/directory). Many more contributors exist, but they are not featured until they reach a certain level of stature and participation in the community. Google uses an algorithm to determine which contributors appear in the directory, the key factors of which are how many subscribers and labels a contributor has, and how successful the contributor's labels are at connecting users with the information they are looking for.

Whether listed in the directory or not, anyone can become a contributor and actively participate in Co-op. The first step is creating a profile. Contributing to an existing topic and annotating Web content involves creating and uploading an XML or tab-delimited file. Subscribed links are managed with a similar document in a few possible formats. Contributors can also create new topics. Google provides instructions, examples and templates in the developer guides to this potentially confusing process at http://www.google.com/coop.

As seen in the searcher section above, a contributor's annotations (labeled pages) influence the refined results that all Co-op users see. But their subscribed links are only shown to those who have subscribed to receive them. This means that new contributors who are not listed in the Co-op directory need to actively promote themselves to attract subscribers, typically among their existing circle of influence or customer base.

Opportunities for WCT Partners

Since there is already a well-defined travel category in Co-op, WCT partners have a good opportunity to become contributors and gain promotional benefits and Web traffic though participation in the program.

As in many elements of search marketing, content is king. Just as you need link-worthy content to be successful in link building, if you want to annotate and recommend your own pages, you need to have content that is "Co-op worthy." That means useful, informative, relevant content that is not overly promotional or commercial. Remember that Google Co-op is a community, and that community will push back at attempts to abuse the system. Beyond that, without useful content and annotations, no contributor will attract or keep subscribers, or raise their status enough to be featured in the directory and really begin to benefit from participation.

Fortunately for WCT, destination guides and hotel reviews have excellent potential in Co-op's travel topic, and many partners are already developing unique content of that nature as part of their overall marketing efforts. Co-op gives you another way to leverage that content, and the possibilities extend beyond guides and reviews. Think about what type of information or expertise your customers are looking for and how you can leverage your content to build value and further customer relationships. Ultimately, Co-op is about expertise and authority, which is expressed on the Web through your content.

Here are some basic steps to help you get started:

• Sign-up for Co-op as a user, subscribe to several travel contributors and see what types of labels and subscribed links they provide for various search queries

• Evaluate your existing content from a Co-op perspective and identify gaps where you may need to create additional content or develop new ideas

• Find useful travel content from other sources that you can annotate and recommend once you become a contributor (this may give you more ideas for expanding your own content too)

• Become a contributor, filling out a profile and developing your annotation and subscribed links documents for uploading (follow the developer guides at http://www.google.com/coop)

• Actively participate in the community, making contributions on a regular basis

• Add to your credibility by recommending other people's content in addition to your own

• Invite your colleagues and customers to become your subscribers, and actively promote it through all your marketing channels. You won't be in the Co-op directory, so the only way to build your subscriber base is through your own efforts

• Keep at it – it takes time to build momentum and see the benefits. Co-op success takes a real commitment to participation and promotion