The need for adapting online business models
I had a conversation with a disgruntled website owner today. His website used to deliver him traffic and business a couple of years ago but one fine day, Goggle made a big change to their search algorithm with Jagger it changed everything for him.
His ranking slipped, and his once competitive website began to slip. We built a new one for him but to no avail, the traffic is becoming harder to come by.
This highlights two major points for me:
- Relying on a search engine for your business is a dangerous thing. Companies have tried (and failed) to sue Google when these things happen but their business is not yours - we all need to become less reliant on one source of traffic.
- Search, and the internet in general, is become ever more competitive. Bigger players are entering the market with larger resources. SEO is so mainstream now, a new ‘edge’ needs to be found - with a more diversified approach to relevant markets.
It can be done but it takes hard work. Small niche businesses are thriving on the web but are maybe too reliant on search, a problem larger eTailors don’t seem to have.
So, that gives us content, and content propagation. ie. Write some good relevant articles and then tell the world about them. Social sites (such as Digg, Del.icio.us, etc. all the way through to Facebook) are good for this or you could try buying into some Directories. Of course, you could try making your own site more social and, if you are a small business, or one man band, you could, yourself, become more social online.
Comment by Garri October 5, 2007 @ 11:26 pm
Some good links there Craig, should keep me busy at the weekend!
Personally, I find myself using search less and less these days as it’s an increasingly frustrating and annoying experience.
From looking at my stats I cringe when I see visitors coming in from Google on a search for ‘treehouses in Spain’ for example, and get shunted by Google to apartments in Barcelona on my site.
Currently, the number 2 result on Google for ‘treehouses in Spain’ is an article about cavehouses in Spain. Luckily though, these type of visitors spend some time on my site, although I have nothing to sell other than ideas - which are free.
It got me thinking about how I’m using the web these days. I find myself finding stuff, via many of the sites you mention, rather than searching for stuff.
Comment by Craig Killick October 6, 2007 @ 9:59 am
Absolutely - and I think relevant search will become more and more apparent moving forward.
Facebook is in a good position to offer search through association and I think Google will get there as well.
One interesting paradox is that for the engines to offer more relevant user searches, you need an account and for them to store and compare your search data. This sets up the privacy brigade to complain about it. With better search comes an element of compromise I guess.
Overall, it’s still early days for search in terms of what we could end up with.