We all have our interpretation on what the future of search will be. Will it be more dependent on signals coming out of social media (Twitter, blogs, etc.), or will Google reboot the search mechanism by introducing something entirely new? Here are some points which will have a deep impact on search in the future:

• Universal results will be customized to the visitor. Search results will increasingly be delivered in the formats individual users prefer, example – news, video, Tweets and other channels. Or, they will be delivered in multi-formats simultaneously like in Kosmix search.
• Big fat directories are dead. The importance of local search will rise dramatically. Advertising revenues from small business will grow and the local web will become more popular. Vertical search engines will help small business get more exposure and quality traffic.
• Digital Asset Optimization. The old house technique of SEO developed for early crawler technology is evolving into Digital Asset Optimization and requires a whole new set of techniques and approaches to get targeted prospects. More non-text content like Video, Podcast, and Slide share will increasingly get popular in terms of search.
• Get used to living with social media. Search engines will increasingly respond to signals from end users, not just web developers and optimizers. User bookmarks, tags and ratings – all on the rise due to the growing prevalence of social media sites – will become the new form of linking. Twitter has and will become the source of link distribution (not link juice distribution).
• Local and mobile search will converge. The increased use of geo-location information in mobile phones will allow search engines to identify the location and sources of searches done from a mobile phone. The resulting mobile experience will include customized maps, directions and ads for local business within the proximity of the mobile user.
• Paid search will grow. Paid search will develop into a much broader advertising medium. Audio, visual and display ads which are targeted towards the right prospect will rise in influence.
• Widgets will play an important role. Desktop search aggregator-type widgets will become common to manage the information stored. These widgets will manage bookmarking, tagging, ratings and also merge desktop and web searches.
• Targeted ads will rule the house. Ads targeted specifically towards a user will gain importance. Behavior marketing and location specific promotions will be used to generate sales and leads. Companies will become more and more targetive in their online promotions.

Everybody associated with the search trade too will have to be on their toes and upgrade their skills in order to remain competitive, or else the future will leave them behind.