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I would like you to think of the last time you made a major purchase, decided what restaurant to go to, or needed to know how to solve a problem. I am willing to put money that you ‘Googled’ what it was that you were trying to find. From reviews and pricing to directions on your smartphone, there is a reason why ‘Googling’ has now become a verb and SEO has become an essential tool for businesses.
You can start to see how Search applies to your business, but what you may not know is the true value that Search and SEO holds for your growing enterprise. The internet has made a level playing field for businesses with Search Engines serving as the gatekeepers to its plunders. Businesses that tap the power between technology and consumer by utilizing Search properly will see improvements with nearly every KPI*1 .
Understanding Search
Before I get to far ahead of myself I would like to set the stage for the rest of the article. To understand The True Value of Search for your Business you must also understand where it came from and what it has become.
How Search Works
How Search Works by Google This 3 minute video from is a great overview on how Search Works to produce results that are relevant to your query. Click the link below to experience Google’s Search process in a fun interactive experience. Check this Out
The Evolution of Search
Search began in the early 1990’s with a very large problem to solve with how we found things on the internet. Imagine going to a library to find a specific book that has no organization process for how the books are put on the shelves. It would be pretty difficult to find the book you’re looking for. Now imagine being blindfolded in that same library trying to find the same book. Good luck!
This is the problem that search engines sought to solve. While early search engines provided indexed lists of websites the search results were often irrelevant as there was no algorithmic process determining which search results would show before others. Then, in 1998, Google was founded and with it a revolutionary concept called PageRank. This formula redefined Search by using Links from other sites as votes to determine the quality and search ranking of the site or webpage. (This process for increasing search ranking is now called Backlinking*2)
This single algorithm forever changed the way we use the web. Today, Google uses over 500 algorithms to determine how information is displayed for each and every search making the information you are seeking more relevant than ever before.
The Evolution of Search by Google Produced in 2011, this serves as a testament of how far search has come. @5:24 the engineer describes his dream to be able to talk to the computer and ask his search … We now have this functionality on our smartphones.
The future of search: Marcus Tandler at TEDxMünchen This is Marcus Tandler, this video is from 2013 however, he gives a wonderful introductory insight as to where Search came from and how it has evolved. 3 years later, and we have already seen these ideas come to fruition. More on Marcus
How Google makes improvements to its search algorithm by Google Produced in 2011, this video covers how Google Changes the Search Algorithm. The team and computing power required to actively monitor, manage, and deploy the scale of these solutions is mind boggling. More on Marcus
The New Ecosystem of Search
Fast forward to 2016, with over 3.5 billion searches per day on Google alone, search engines remain the gatekeepers of the internet. However, new technologies have emerged. Technology innovations like mobile, social media, talk to text, hashtags, web video, and google maps have changed how we search, find, and access information.
This web of content distribution all works together to create the new Search of 2016 with each facet building upon each other to increase the overall effectiveness of Search. The evolution of search has begun to create a living breathing ecosystem of integrated apps, technologies, and solutions that can begin to predict what it is that we want or need before we even think of it.
Search is so integrated into our daily lives that you may not realize when you are using search. Here are some great examples;
Search Now Fits in Our Pocket
Google, evolved by Google Google has changed a lot over the past 17 years — from the range of our products to the evolution of their look and feel. And today we’re changing things up once again…
Search and the mobile content ecosystem Google I/O 2016 Produced in 2011, this video covers how Google Changes the Search Algorithm. The team and computing power required to actively monitor, manage, and deploy the scale of these solutions is mind boggling.
iPhone 6s – Hey Siri by Apple Siri Uses Search
Search Now Dictates Where We Go & How We Get There
Apple CarPlay Demonstration by Higway Star Mercedes-Benz How the system operates in vehicles is being demonstrated by Mercedes-Benz in a new 2015 C-Class at the Geneva Motor Show 2014.
Tesla Model S – Navigation by Tesla The Tesla Model S navigation system is powered by Google Maps! Which uses Google’s powerful mapping and search engine ecosystem to locate businesses, restaurants, and home addresses.
Android Auto Review by The Verge Android Auto is Google’s play to get in your car and make you a safer driver. It’s now available in the 2015 Hyundai Sonata, which is the first car you can get Android Auto in from the factory. We spent a couple of weeks behind the wheel of an Android Auto equipped Sonata to see how it all works.
Where Search Is Going
The Evolution of Search by Google Produced in 2011, this serves as a testament of how far search has come. @5:24 the engineer describes his dream to be able to talk to the computer and ask his search … We now have this functionality on our smartphones.
The future of search: Marcus Tandler at TEDxMünchen This is Marcus Tandler, this video is from 2013 however, he gives a wonderful introductory insight as to where Search came from and how it has evolved. 3 years later, and we have already seen these ideas come to fruition. More on Marcus
How Google makes improvements to its search algorithm by Google Produced in 2011, this video covers how Google Changes the Search Algorithm. The team and computing power required to actively monitor, manage, and deploy the scale of these solutions is mind boggling. More on Marcus
How Google makes improvements to its search algorithm by Google Produced in 2011, this video covers how Google Changes the Search Algorithm. The team and computing power required to actively monitor, manage, and deploy the scale of these solutions is mind boggling. More on Marcus
Core Elements of SEO
With the web of Search growing out and into these emerging platforms and channels naturally SEO needs to evolve to remain effective. Today’s most effective SEO Strategies are carried out by multifaceted teams with developers, editors, designers, engineers, social media specialists, and marketers. These teams work closely together with each member having a thorough understanding of SEO and how it must cohesively come together to deliver results.
The Periodic Table of SEO Success Factors
Image Source Search Engine Land
To think that this brief summary is only covering the website and actual search engine rankings of the website in Search. While SEO V2.o is a very broad topic I will leave this hear for now and delve deeper into this growing web of search in a future article.
Applying Search to Your Business
Understanding what search is, where it is going, and the core elements to successful search engine optimization is important. Applying this information to you business will be your next step for growing your business through Search and SEO. While the application process may differ, depending on existing technologies, the core process remains the same.
Step 1: Partner with an Agency
Utilizing a dedicated SEO service will often produce results. Partnering with an Agency, like Xceptional, that knows your web infrastructure from front to back, messaging and identity, and business goals and objectives provides a powerful dynamic to maximize results.
Step 2: Get your Website up to Snuff
Showing up in search engines is one thing, having a website that converts visitors into leads, customers, or appointments is a completely different science. The customer needs to know who you are, what you do, and what the next step is in the least amount of information as possible on front page. If you are targeting specific products or services there should be landing pages created and targeted specifically for each of those segments.
Step 3: Develop & Integrate Social Media
Integrating social media to your website increases the trust and authority carried by your website thus increasing the web search ranking. It also builds trust and brand equity with the customer that you are who you say you are. ‘Likes’ have become a currency of their own in today’s successful web strategies.
Services like Google Maps, which come integrated in cars, smartphones, and many other technologies, is powered by Google+’s My Business Pages. If you are not setup and integrated with Google’s My Business Pages this is an absolute must to appear when clients are searching for directions to your location.
Step 4: Optimize, Create Content, & Measure Results
Quality content is always king when seeking to increase your organic search ranking. Content may include blog posts, YouTube videos, and landing pages targeted towards the customer for the product or service you are seeking to sell. Measuring results, when partnered with an agency, will be done through the analytics reporting. Knowing how many customers are submitting contact forms or purchasing products all leads to understanding the true value of each of these conversions. Once the conversion value has been defined knowing how much to invest in SEO, paid advertising, and other lead generation tools online.
Conclusion
While each business is unique, the impact that Search has with our clients is profound. With the ability to measure the ROI through powerful data driven reports, we are able to track and measure down to the penny the impact that Search has on a business. With the large Ecosystem of search you must take a holistic approach to ensure that you are maximizing results. Businesses focusing on the individual elements of search will lose themselves to the sea of multifaceted technologies and strategies. To successfully leverage search in your business, you must focus on the high level goals and objectives for your business, and partner with Agencies, like Xceptional, that can handle and manage the multiple facets to work together in delivering your message and achieving your goals and objectives.
Reference & Definitions
*1 KPI – A key performance indicator (KPI) is a business metric used to evaluate factors that are crucial to the success of an organization. (Srouce: TechTarget)
*2 Backlink – an incoming hyperlink from one web page to another website. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlink
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