Michael Grey had it right... Google Knols are coming.

Wayyy back in 2007 (what I would term the "Salad Days") Michael Grey noted a potential by-product (or maybe main product) of Google's new Knol product would be an increased layer of organic ranking competition.

That is to say, Google will reference itself in it's search results, like it currently does with You Tube, Product Search & Image Search.

I didn't know what to think on the matter initially, but Google Knols went live yesterday - and today things have changed.

To wit:

• Search for "Type 1 Diabetes" - Google Knols Ranks #5
• Search for "Diarrhea" - Google Knols Ranks #6
• Search for "Jaw Fractures" - Google Knols is #7

What does this mean for me and you?

Well, organic Google rankings have a number of obvious benefits; website traffic, general awareness, etc. Ranking organically can also have a strong affect on PPC response as well, creating higher click through & converstion rates due to your "authority" status (particularly when 80% of new customers believe they found you.)

It will certainly be interesting the see how this plays out over the new few months, and something in me says this Beta is going to have more of a change than Pay-Per-Action did.

Only time will tell.