Add me to search or Google People Cards were a boon to us all as they provided a way to create digital visiting cards. Cards that would pop up as soon as someone did a related search. Normally, only a select few had the privilege of showing up on Google, and thus Google’s People Card brought fairness to the digital front and helped in digital marketing!
But they stopped this service on April 7, 2024.
Summary
Add Me to Search aka Google People Card was launched by Google in February of 2020. At that time, it helped businesses and individuals stay in touch with their new customer base.
It was easy to create, modify, and remove! It was available in India, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, while people from other countries could use a VPN for it.
Google provided time until May 2024 to download the previous data, but now it is no longer accessible.
A Few Facts
- Google is the most used search engine 95.32% on mobiles and 81.95% on desktop
- Daily search averages at 5 billion
- 5% (desktop) and 34.4% (mobile) searches result in zero clicks or no clicks
- Top CTR (averages): 28% [Ist], 5.82% [IInd], 3.11 [IIIrd]
- 39% of the buyers are influenced by relevant searches
What was a Google People Card?
Google’s People Card, or Add Me To Search, was an amazing initiative by Google that helped anyone who wanted to have their digital visiting card.
It started in February 2020 and stopped in April 2024. So, it served the people for a good four years. You could add basic information like name, location, and about us, as well as specific information like work, education, hometown, email, social media links, phone number, and more.
The email and phone number were pulled automatically from the connected personal Google account. This is a boon and a blessing even now, had it been available!
Benefits of Add Me To Search
It is important to know and understand the benefits it holds. So that someone big and credible enough can bring it back!
1. Increased Visibility
Imagine the kind of visibility anyone would have had if they created a Google People card for an SEO expert. Anyone searching for an SEO expert locally would definitely see their card, which would also have all the important links, be it their website, social media, or work samples, and boom, they will have more visitors!
2. Boosted Professional Presence
This people card can be used as a link on all social media handles, giving the user a professional edge over everyone else.
3. Increased Connectivity
With more visitors able to reach the landing pages that were intended for them, the connectivity with the right kind of visitors would increase. Thus, the CTR, or click-through rate, would increase, transforming into an increased CR, or conversion rate.
4. Value-added searches
Imagine the level of search and the value addition it brings via sharing with you the relevant digital visiting cards. Comparing it to any other search engine’s results that do not share such information, Google is bound to be the preferred choice of all!
5. Branding Control
The control one garners by creating their Google People card on their branding is immense. Because now you decide what to show, how to show it, and when to show it.
6. Google Certifications
There were options to link Google certifications to the card, making it much more desirable and effective.
7. Potential E-E-A-T boost
Google’s E-E-A-T, or Experience-Expertise-Authoritativeness-Trustworthiness, focuses on building brand or individual credibility. With a Google People card, you could target them all! In short, the easiest way to do Digital Marketing.
8. SEO Boost
SEO, or search engine optimization would work best with an Add Me to Search or Google People card because perfect content optimisation, keyword usage, images, and linking could be achieved starting right from the search itself!
These eight benefits are all short-term. You could easily imagine its long-term benefits and integrations, be it ARs or VRs like Meta, for example!
Future Implications of Add me to search or Google People Card
While announcing the shutdown, Google recognised the positive impact that they made with the Google People Card, but they did not give a reason for such a drastic decision. In related news, Google shut down Google Pay in the USA on June 4, 2024.
But one person’s garbage can become another’s treasure. Google has left a vacant spot in their google searches. This vacancy can be filled by a similar or better version of the People card from some other big player.
Because these cards can become the pivot that other search engines, ISPs, social media companies, and more need to hold the centre stage and grow exponentially! Just like every country has an identification card, maybe a future version of the Google People Card can be used for universal identity. Government ID cards can be linked to them, be they passports, driving licenses, visas, and more.
Thus, the potential that Google People Card holds is infinite, and maybe Google understood it to bring a better and more universal version, helping us all move towards a universal sisterhood and brotherhood.
We, Wildnet Technologies, are maestros of Digital Marketing and Design and Development services with our 17+ years of experience in IT and marketing domains. We can help in building a better version of the Google People card as well.
Our Digital Marketing services have helped foreign and domestic clients generate USD 200k in organic revenue by using 25k #1-ranked keywords while decreasing their costs by 60% and 40%, respectively.
If you would like to read more,
> SEO in 2024’s Digital Landscape
> 10 Lead Gens and 5 Lead Magnets in 2024
> Wildnet’s Digital Yum (our weekly newsletter)
Connect with us at info@wildnettechnologies.com and ensure your brand reaches the zenith and above.
