Google recently announced an update that makes it easier to find relevant data via search.
Now, when users search Google for datasets, they’ll see a dedicated section that highlights relevant datasets directly on the search results page.
Access to datasets is critical to many of today’s endeavors across verticals and industries, whether scientific research, business analysis, or public policy. In the scientific community and throughout various levels of the public sector, reproducibility and transparency are essential for progress, so sharing data is vital. For one example, in the United States a recent new policy requires free and equitable access to outcomes of all federally funded research, including data and statistical information along with publications.
To facilitate discovery of content with this level of statistical detail and better distill this information from across the web, Google now makes it easier to search for datasets. You can click on any of the top three results (see below) to get to the dataset page or you can explore further by clicking “More datasets.” Here is an example:
For data providers, this update presents a massive opportunity to get your data in front of new, high-intent customers who are actively looking for the data you have.
To appear in specialized results sections, though, each dataset must be published on a webpage with structured metadata that describes key elements such as description, license, and temporal and spatial coverage.
Narrative’s Data Shops is perfectly suited to help data providers take advantage of this new feature and reach new customers on Google. Here’s why:
- Automated metadata and technical SEO. Data Shops automatically includes relevant metadata and other technical elements to optimize your dataset pages for search engines.
- No engineering required. Business users can manage the entire process without relying on technical teams. Upload and combine data sources, slice and dice your data to create new datasets, and publish them in a custom-branded web store without a single line of code.
- Set it and forget it. Once your datasets are live, ongoing maintenance is minimal. Your Data Shop is self-serve, so customers can browse, purchase, and receive your datasets without you having to lift a finger.
It’s never been easier to generate passive income from the data you already collect. To get started, just reply to this email or click the button below to book a meeting with a member of the Narrative I/O team.
