Search engine basics and its evolution
Searching for information on the Internet is a peculiar experience. Much like real life, it seems that the more you do it the more you realize you do not know, but once you understand some basics, searching the elusive ether web can be a rewarding experience…well, almost.
There is so much information on the Web today that it is almost impossible to locate all of the quality information available to you on a particular subject. While this post might be elementary for some readers, our hope is that this fundamental practice can be explored in greater depth on this blog through a series of entries and comments about search engine marketing and optimization.
Pre-Web Search
Internet search is a changed science today. In the pre-Web days, bulletins were assuredly the most common way for people to keep up with their interests as well as to collaborate. Users could subscribe to newsgroups and information on the net was readily and easily available if you knew how to use these traditional tools. However, there isn’t much for me to talk about on this subject because it was before my time of interest in computers. All I know is that bulletins and newsgroups were once a way of life for many. Newsgroups are still around actually.
Then a thing called the World Wide Web came along which revolutionized the overall online experience, including the way people located and kept up with information. Newsletters became a way of life, and still are for many people (like me, I love them). With the Web came search engines such as [tag]Yahoo![/tag], [tag]Excite[/tag], [tag]Lycos[/tag], and [tag]Netscape[/tag]. Remember those guys? It was a different time back then that’s for sure.
Old School SEO
For years, businesses were forced to learn how to thrive in search by what was called [tag]SEO[/tag], or [tag]Search Engine Optimization[/tag]. There was a time only a few years ago where businesses, particularly auto dealers, were just just getting around to being “optimized for search”. Traditional SEO involved defining the site’s meta tags such as keywords and descriptions and then listing their site with these search engines on a regular basis. Many companies provided this service at various levels for a fee and eventually it became an inherent part of most any website marketing package.
PPC
Then [tag]Google[/tag] came along and revolutionized search all together, and shortly thereafter introduced a thing called [tag]PPC[/tag], or [tag]pay-per-click[/tag] advertising. As a result, SEO seemingly took a back seat, at least in the auto industry. In fact, so much emphasis has been put on PPC advertising in this industry since it came out that it appears our rapidly paced technology sector has turned a blind eye to the evolution of SEO. I don’t think it will take much longer for the industry to realize this as a whole. Some already are actually. [tag]AutoJini[/tag], for one, if you read their blog, puts tremendous effort on innovative search marketing with their dealer websites.
Residual Search
SEO is a fascinating science, and art for that matter, and it is beginning to regain the credibility it should always have had. One of the greatest benefits to good SEO is its residual benefit, which is an import part of search marketing that PPC does not offer. Residual benefit simply means that the effective efforts you put forth into your SEO do not just disappear because you took a week or two off from focusing on it. While doing so does have a consequence, the point is that because SEO takes time to build into higher search placement, it also sticks around longer unlike PPC where the minute you stop purchasing key word ads then your site stops appearing in the results.
This is assuredly enough to chew on for those new to search engine marketing. stay tuned for continuation posts related to this subject.
Also, if you were once a bulletin player, let’s here your story.
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