SEO GOOGLE
What’s So Special about Google, Then?
Is It Really All That?
Google this and Google that! What about Yahoo, AltaVista, and all those other search engines? My mom always said, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
Say It with Numbers
When Internet users are unable or unwilling to guess your URL (Uniform Resource Locator; read “Web site address”), they will use a search engine to find you. Now, among all the Web site visits that are conducted in the United States that were immediately preceded by a search en- gine search, Google is responsible for the majority. Google is by far the most widely used search engine and the biggest referrer of visitors in the United States (60 percent of all searches).*
Google, like Kleenex, has achieved a dominance so great, in such a short period of time, that the company name often is used to mean Internet searching. Single execs, looking for companionship, “google” potential dates before committing to a meal. Parents google a school
to decide whether it’s suitable for little Frankie’s education. Job applicants google the interview staff to learn any interesting snippets that they can bring up at an inter- view (and vice versa). Internet users use Google—a lot.
Google, certainly at the moment, owns the Internet, and if you want your online business to thrive, you need to learn how to be #1 on Google.
Just Flick the Switch SEO?
As an e-business adviser and freelance e- consultant SEO I meet with a lot of companies with Web sites. Primarily they all want the same thing—good exposure on Google. But there is no magic switch, there is no instant cure; becoming #1 on Google takes time. You want instant gratification, and Google’s more interested in pursuing a long-term relationship with you. This may
Be #1 on Google.
go against everything else we see, hear, and feel about the Web (overnight success stories, sites plucked from obscurity, servers crashing under the weight of so much traffic . . .), but that’s the deal. Commit seriously to Google and it will commit right back, and when that relationship is forged, it’s not just strong, it’s really strong.