Think Like a Search Engine

Let’s not forget that Google and Yahoo! are monster companies with market caps of 162.1 and 29.64 billion respectively. These enormous companies have customers: Searchers. These are people that are looking for the closest lasik eye center or a review of a dentist where they are getting a root canal tomorrow. Search terms may look like:

lasik eye center cedar rapids ia

dentist reviews el paso texas

How did search engines like Google and Yahoo! become so large and powerful without selling any tangible goods? The answer lies in there most prized possession: The Search Algorithm. In order for the search engines to retain customers they must create value for them. They do this by providing the most relevant results for the search terms that are typed in their search engine. If they fail to provide good results, the customers will move on to someone who does.

With the above in mind, small businesses must begin to think like a search engine. Leverage the platform that they provide by playing by their rules. In other words, create a good website that the search engines are proud to serve up to their customers. Unfortunately, many small businesses try to take the easy way out and expect the search engines to dish up a poor website (translation: SPAM sandwich) to their customers.

What is a good website? There is an old maxim in the Internet Marketing field that “content is king.” This is becoming ever more true as the search engines continue to refine their algorithm to exclude that SPAM sandwich. The answer is and always will be to create a site that creates value for people. In my humble opinion this means doing any (or all) of the following:

Entertain Me
Use content to make me laugh, shock me, get my attention.
Inform Me
Use content to teach me something, or make me aware of something of interest to me.
Make Me Money
Use content to show me how to make more money with my business or in my profession.
Save Me Time
Use content to show me how to be more efficient or how to simplify my life.
Protect Me
Use content to make me aware of threats and how to deal with them.

This list is not exhaustive. Feel free to add your own content categories in the comments section of this blog.

Do: Create websites with good content that a search engine would be proud to serve its customers.

Don’t: Think you can create a poor website and expect the search engines to recommend it.

July 15, 2008    Posted in: Create Great Content

One Response

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