Google – Friend or Foe?

15Mar10

One of my most valued life experiences is to have been working in the web industry at the time of Google’s emergence. Little did I know back then what an impact it would make on the Internet and the future of online business.

Today as a company Google is almost completely unrecognisable to the life it started as a student project over a decade ago. Google is now a very large business branching out into all kinds of new areas. Very clever branding has made its name instantly recognisable to many.

Although Google uses the slogan ‘Don’t be evil’ its short history has not been without some controversy along the way.

‘Why are you talking about Google?’, I hear you say.

There are a number of reasons for this, one chiefly being that out of the many consultancies I have done the clients mostly refer to Google. Sometimes it feels like only Google exists even though other mainstream search engines such as Bing and Yahoo do the same thing.

Why have so many mindsets been stuck in this way for so long? To understand this you will need to have followed Google through its evolution. Back in the beginning out of all the search engine algorithms Google’s proved to be the most accurate in delivering results. On top of that it used a clean site free from intrusive advertising. In fact, and this is the clever part, the only thing that really stood out was the Google logo. Without realising it by not having anything distracting on the home page the Google brand was slowly burning its way into the users mind.

It was not long before website owners realised the benefits of appearing at the top of Google’s search results. Search engine optimisation then truly began with optimisation companies constantly trying to manipulate each algorithm update (or Google Dance) in order to propel their clients sites to that much prized top position.

Then Google did something very clever and sponsored listings began appearing along with the normal search results. These were Pay Per Click ads in which the website would be displayed under a certain keyword if it had a high enough bid. This is what would make Google a large fortune and still does to this day. Soon after the other major search engines followed with their own sponsored services.

Unfortunately such was the competitiveness of gaining first position in Google’s search engines many individuals and some SEO companies resorted in trying to cheat the search engine’s algorithm’s by providing false content and leads which would become known as search engine spam. When Google realised that the very nature of spam could undermine the accuracy if its search results it acted. As a result with each algorithm update it became harder for the spammers to spam. This also meant that it became harder for non-spamming sites to rank as the Google goal posts were pulled in.

At this time the SEO industry nicknamed three types of search engine optimisation methods. They were black hat in which methods of cheating are used with almost a guarantee of banishment if caught. Then there is grey hat in which a method walks the thin line of being classed as spam. Finally white hat is the name given to the method which closely conforms to search engines submission rules.

Despite huge efforts by Google to eradicate spam some does still slip through the net which is why Google introduced its spam reporting pages. Although this method does not always guarantee Google will drop an offending site it does use the collected data to increase the spam detecting efficiency of future algorithm updates.

Finally to the title of this post. Is Google a friend or foe? I pretty much think that each of us will make our own decision based on personal experiences. For many users I imagine they will see Google as a means in which to explore our world in search of knowledge. Some online businesses will see Google as either their saviour or executioner. Google can give with one hand and then take with the other without warning. Some see its pay-per-click advertising scheme as flawed and easily abused by would-be competitors. I’m sure some small businesses would question if it is fair someone should rank higher simply because they have more money to spend on a ppc campaign. Unfortunately that is the nature of advertising. If you want a bigger ad in your local paper or directory book then you have to pay more in order to stand out from the crowd.

As we progress on into a new decade it seems like Google is taking the world by storm in its quest of providing information for the masses. Whatever direction the Internet takes we can be sure that Google will continue to influence other search engines with its continuing innovations.

A word of warning though. Don’t be too hasty in putting all of your SEO eggs in one basket. The other search engines still have a sizable user base and may yet become as popular as Google depending on how they develop.

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Tags: algorithm, google, google dance, optimization, pay per click, ppc, Search Engine Optimisation, search engine optimiser, seo consultant, spam

SEO Consultant

15Mar10

Welcome to my new blog. I hope readers will find it both interesting and helpful. More information about who I am and what I do can be found at http://www.naturalseoguide.com

Filed under: Search Engine Optimisation   |  1 Comment
Tags: google, optimization, pay per click, ppc, roi, Search Engine Optimisation, search engine optimiser, seo consultant, serps