August 11th, 2010 by Susie

When you look at the complex ‘search world,’ it is easy to be amazed at the pace and nature of change. However, for approximately the last decade a very important feature of the world of search has remained much the same. Google has contrived to maintain a significant international lead over rival search engines since it was able to overtake Yahoo! just prior to 2000. Google’s impressive market share means that many search engine optimization campaigns are tailored towards improving the performance of a site in relation to Google. Google has prospered because so many users trust it. This trust has accumulated because Google has provided excellent results time after time.

At Searchengineoptimization.co.uk we research and monitor the world of search because this ensures that our campaigns are flexible and up-to-date. SEO, which does not take into account the features of the ‘external’ sphere of search, typically have suboptimal consequences for the performance of the specific site concerned.

The implications of Google’s enduring dominance are complex and far-reaching. It is not the case that campaigns should forget about the other search engines. A lot depends on the specificities of the site under discussion. However, in practical terms, a site which is properly geared up for Google often does well in relation to Yahoo! When it comes to Microsoft’s Bing, the hyped ‘almost new kid on the block,’ the lessons may be a little different. Bing is a revamped search engine which does not yet look like matching Google in terms of relevance or importance. Nevertheless, optimising for Bing may not be a waste of time and it may involve tweaking things a tiny bit. Minor search engines may come into play for particular campaigns, but guidance is necessary. Regardless of these elements of uncertainty, the continued hegemony of Google means that contemporary SEO largely focuses on satisfying two groups.

The persistent success of Google means that SEO professionals spend most of their time trying to please Google and human users. Due to the fact that pleasing users is a staple of Google’s advice to the sector, it actually means that a lot of time is spent trying to address what Google wants. Unethical black hat firms may try to manipulate the sphere of search by trying to ignore the wishes of users, but they can incur the wrath of Google. Even if their efforts do not incur a search engine penalty, practices like mass link purchasing or keyword stuffing are unlikely to yield sustainable success.

As Google is so successful, it really has a powerful ability to shape and enforce the rules of the game. It makes sense to pay close attention to the information it releases through figures like Matt Cutts. However, Google’s power is important in another way. Google has the strength to set the agenda, at least in part. Therefore its innovations like its new indexing infrastructure, Caffeine, need monitoring and require proactive responses.

Google’s continued success is not guaranteed, but its resilience and commitment to innovation mean that campaigns will be focused on what Google wants for some time.

Link to us

If you want to link to this blog, copy and paste the following HTML code to your website.