Thoughts On The Search Engine Industry
I thought it might be fun to write what I have noticed recently in the ongoing evolution of the Search Engine industry. To help set the stage - allow me to provide a little background.
Googles Rendition of the Hawthorn Effect
That was then…
I was very active in building websites in the mid to late 90’s, I know, I know - that was oh so last century. I learned a great deal about how to help my clients get their websites into good positions on the search engines without using what is referred to today as Blackhat SEO. Eventually my interest in developing websites led to a position in a small dot com where I developed an application for the Automobile Insurance Industry - connecting Claim Service Representatives to a network of repair shops. Fun stuff!
Through an usual turn of events - I ended up starting a small business manufacturing surfboard shaped signs for the surf retail and specialty store markets. Maybe you have seen them for sale in stores like the Ron Jon Surf Shops or the Margaritaville Stores. When it came time to move our product list to the web, I selected an open source shopping cart and after a month of customizing the user interface - went to market. After getting our products online - it was time to focus on optimizing the site for the search engines, and make an attempt to position the sites as best as possible.
Having been “out of the industry” for nearly a decade, I was certain it would not be an easy challenge to spin up again and learn the tricks of the trade and all the new do’s and don’ts of modern day SEO. Turns out, there’s a new bag of tricks being used, but the old fashioned, tried and true methods of generating valuable content - still apply today just like they did 10 years ago and are still rewarded when found by the search engines.
So there you have it, an unusual perspective at best. Having been out of the industry for so long, it was really fascinating to see the changes that have taken place and be in a position to compare them to the way it was when I exited the arena.
What follows are some key observations and occasional postulations on where I think the Internet search industry might be headed. Having gotten our background behind us… here’s is the link of first article I intend to write.