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Friday, November 21st, 2008
Some will already have noticed that Google searches often seem to try to ‘pre-empt’ our intentions when searching. For instance, if you are trying to do a global search, Google often insists on giving geographic results based on your IP. This can be irritating to say the least if you a) need results from a country other than the one you are logging in from or b) when you are in a foreign country and Google insists on sending you to that country’s version of Google rather than your home nation, or the URL for a country specific Google engine that you have entered.
Additionally, Google will often try to second guess whether you are researching or planning to shop, and deliver results based on that assumption. If Google second guesses wrong, you will get results that do not necessarily apply to your search, and it can be hard to break away from that assumption to find the right results.
There is more of this to come. Google are looking to apply more intent based searching, as well as more geographic and geotargeted search, and whilst this may be a good thing in many instances, it could also lead to a growing resentment that a computer (Google owned or otherwise) thinks it knows better than we do.
However, it may mean that it slowly educates users to search more accurately, and that SEO adapts to ensure that the relevant results are delivered to those seeking answers or products and services. We will have to wait and see, but I think 2009 will see a certain disenchantment with these developments amonst users of the search engines, whilst on the other hand driving phenomenal amounts of traffic to those who capitalise early on the changes.
Tags: geo targeting, Google, intent based searching
Posted in SEM Industry, Stats & Trends
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Friday, November 21st, 2008
Well, it’s not a definite, but it is highly likely to start losing importance in 2009. Google is introducing searches that will be personalised for each searcher. So, I could search on something, and based on my search history and even my IP address, I will get entirely different results from what you see, searching with identical terms.
For SEOs and their clients, this means that we will no longer hear, “Can you get me to Number 1 on the search engines?” from clients, nor ‘promises’ from SEOs that they can get your website into the top 10. A hearty cheer from this internet marketer at the end to that horror!!
What we are going to see is far more results-based search marketing assessments. You will know whether the SEO that we do for you is working through far more important measurables eg an increase in sales and conversions to calls to action on your site. Some of us have been saying this all along, but it’s great to finally see that SEO is going to have adapt to these changes and some of the hollow promises of the past which have affected the honest, reputable and ethical practioners of SEO will vanish into history.
If you want to know more about this, take 10 minutes to view Bruce Clay (he who came up with one of the very first maps of search engines and their relationships way back when) and listen to some of the other changes he anticipates in 2009.
Tags: 2009, bruce clay, intent based searching, ranking is dead, SEO
Posted in SEM Industry, Stats & Trends
