Google’s Search Within a Search Has Retailers & Website Owners Upset

A recent addition to Google’s stash of search tools which allows consumers to conduct a search-winthin-a-search for many popular websites has resulted in a mass of angry website owners that would rather Google stay out of their site-search altogether. When you conduct a search on Google for, let’s say, Wal-Mart, you’ll get your standard search results, but below the Walmart.com listing, there’s a new search box that lets you “search walmart.com”.

From the consumer standpoint, this is an awesome feature, and saves you from the hassle of having to deal with shoddy and unrealiable search on many of the most popular retailers’ websites. It lets you search these sites within the comfortable and familiar bounds of Google, and you might even have a better shot at finding what you’re looking for.

But on the flip-side, for retailers this is a bad, bad thing. Why you ask? Well because consumers can now use Google to search their site, Google may also serve up contextual ads which could attract the searcher more than their own website. It also has the potential to drastically reduce the number of pageviews on the retailers’ websites, as well as the time spent there due to Google’s ads.

While these are valid concerns by the retailers and other site owners affected by Google’s latest tool, maybe it will help them realize that for the most part, their search just isn’t up to snuff.