Why search is still number one
Here at Weboptimiser, we've been watching the recent developments in the search engine space with interest, in particular the news that AltaVista and Terra Lycos are turning away from the portal approach and going back to their core business of search.
Add this to the results of a survey from iProspect, which found that the majority of search engine users won't look beyond the first page of search results and it's clear that there has been a fundamental shift in the search engine - and search engine optimisation - space.
That shift is the recognition that search engine users don't need extra services, they just want to find what they're looking for. If they want horoscopes or recipes they'll ask for them - and they'll do it on a search engine they can trust to deliver the goods. Simplicity not complexity is what differentiates the winners today, which explains Google's success. Considering that, after email, search is the most popular online activity, it's only right that the search engines should be re-thinking their services to give their users what they want.
This focus on putting people first is one of the reasons why Weboptimiser's pioneering micro-sites concept, which not only boosts visibility but streamlines navigation and reduces loading time has been so enthusiastically copied by our competitors. It's also one of the reasons why our new Trusted Feed service in partnership with AltaVista, Ask Jeeves, Inktomi and FAST, which takes visitors straight from the listings to the specific web content they're looking for, has been so well received by our clients. At the same time, it explains why the search engines, keen to protect the integrity of their indexes, are clamping down on unethical SEO techniques like cloaking and spamming with increasing force.
So, if giving people what they are looking for is the new goal of search engines and sites alike, it's up to the SEOs to support, not subvert, such a worthwhile mission.
David White
CEO
Weboptimiser Ltd
