How to Soar in Your Search Engine Marketing, in the Post Google Era Part 2

by Kamau Austin

'Are Google's Days in the Dominant Position in Search Technology Numbered?'

In an aggressive attempt to get SEO under control, perhaps for its new IPO, Google is evolving into a less relevant search engine losing market share to Yahoo! Furthermore, on the horizon is Microsoft's launch into the search business, which will integrate search some how into the Find feature of your operating system (it is the system used to find files in Windows). It other words, with the new Windows you will be able to search files on your computer and also the Internet. This new functionality of being able to search computer files and web files, from the operating system of Windows, has to eat into the market share of Google's future Search Business.

'The Google Brand will Survive Albeit in other Advertising Businesses.'

This would explain Google's ambitious plan to expand beyond search, to become a major ubiquitous brand like Yahoo! Google has expanded into email advertising with Gmail™, and positioning itself to be a major partner with countless numbers of web site publishers with the revenue producing Adsense™ program. Google's Adsense™ is probably the most effective associate or affiliate program for web site owners available. It provides significant revenue out of one of the webs 3 main killer apps - clicking on links. With a major IPO to raise cash and these visionary positioning strategies, I am sure Google will leverage its brand into other things. In short, the Google brand will survive albeit in other advertising businesses.

However, the fact remains I don't think it will retain its dominant position in search. Are Google's days in the dominant position in search technology numbered?

'How Will the Savvy SEO Survive in the New Search Engine Marketing Landscape?'

Gone are the days that SEO's not long ago, could optimize clients sites for Google and influence 2/3rds of the search queries online, for targeted keyword phrases.

My results have been affected also however, I suspected that this was in the works, and buffered my ebusiness from the latest series of Google updates my taking a more harmonized and balanced approach to web marketing called the Tao of Search Engine Promotion. So sit back and relax, and forget the stress of the Google's barrage of Updates. Refocus your energies. visualize a high traffic site without the dependence on Google, the new MSN Search Engine, or anything else on the horizon... probably created by Yahoo! Lets use this time to reflect on the basics of synergistic web marketing harmony.

'Introducing the Concept of Tao to Search Engine Marketing'

Why I use the Eastern Philosophy of Tao to Search Engine Promotion is because in Search Engine Marketing I feel we have to be open to harmonizing with the major opposing forces in search engine visibility going forward: 1 Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising; and 2 Search Engine Optimization SEO.

My Personal Philosophy is that you will need to Have Harmony between Hard and Soft techniques, like Ying and Yang or Male and Female Principles to restore balance in search engine marketing in this uncertain post era of Google dominance.

Search Engine Advertising - represents the Yang or Male Principle, in that it is very proactive, aggressive, and in your face advertising. Your PPC advertising copy has to fire the imagination of the web visitors to get a good response. Pay-per-click (PPC) Advertising is paying for the click-troughs to your site by the search engines. PPC is putting your message out to the www in no uncertain terms, to make your statement about your business.

In PPC advertising you control the ranking, message, and cost of your campaign by bidding against others for your specific search engine key terms. The major players in pay-per-click advertising are Google, Overture, and Find What. While on the other hand...

Search Engine Optimization - represents the Ying or Female Principle in that it is more fluid and receptive to the algorithms of the search engines, which of course you - do not control. SEO promotion is using known conventions, and in some cases deconstructing the algorithms of the developers of the search engines - and working with them. In other words it is like Judo where you use the momentum and power of the search engines to build your business. You will have to be constantly vigilant, in order to try to stay abreast of the latest developments in SEO promotion.

You have to employ both strategies at times - and both have their place, in the media mix of your search engine marketing strategies. We will explore how both can help you drive traffic to your business. First let's explore some ebiz basics.

Why People Use the Internet?

A - Read Email and communicate

B - Find Information (not entertainment)

C - Find information to buy something

The Net is Text-centric right now - with the 4 killer apps being E-mail, Instant Messaging, clicking links and searching for information. Without these four basic functions the web would not work. This is important to remember because, some people think that Flashy animation, or graphics are the keys to a successful e business. This is just not the case. You have to have good textual information on your site, that is optimized to be search engine friendly, if you want to achieve high search engine rankings. It Part 3 I will explore other basic SEO principles to share how I have been able to sustain high rankings in a Post Google era.