| The internet itself has been around in | | | | this must have seemed like an insane |
| one form or another since the late 70s. | | | | time to be entering the market. And a |
| Originally it was designed by the | | | | free search engine at that, with free |
| military as a primitive way of sending | | | | submission for your site! But once |
| encrypted messages intended only for | | | | google started to increase in |
| their recipients. If you have ever used | | | | popularity, people saw the benefit of |
| an electronic bulletin board, well this | | | | their superior algorithm and search |
| was similar, only networked. | | | | results, nice uncluttered home page, and |
| | | | free submission, and hey, google just |
| Eventually, as most military | | | | sounds so cool anyway! The term to |
| applications do, the internet made its | | | | "google it" is now commonly used in |
| way into mainstream civilian | | | | relation to doing a search, and it seems |
| application. The concept of the | | | | the public can't get enough. Google has |
| Internet, or the Web as it was sometimes | | | | been innovative in other areas of the |
| also referred to as, didn't really take | | | | industry also. They have several |
| hold on the public psyche until the late | | | | indexes based on different topics, and |
| 80s. That incarnation of the internet | | | | some news archive services. Another |
| was somewhat slow, cumbersome and | | | | innovation google implemented was |
| limited by both the number of sites | | | | picture search. Google did go on to |
| available, and the cost of registering a | | | | implement paid inclusion via AdWords and |
| domain name and hosting a site. With | | | | AdSense, but basic submission to the |
| the advent of cheaper hosting and the | | | | index has always been free. Google's |
| reduction of the cost of registering | | | | spider also seems to be the most active, |
| domains, the popularity of the internet | | | | and often times linking to a new site |
| really started to take off in the early | | | | from an older site which is already |
| 90s. The media jumped on the bandwagon, | | | | indexed will often get the new site |
| and so ensued what was something of a | | | | indexed more quickly than if you |
| mini cultural revolution. | | | | submitted the site manually to google. |
| | | | |
| Companies started registering domain | | | | Recent happenings in the world of |
| names and setting up what were mainly | | | | search include Microsoft's MSN search |
| informational web sites, or sales jargon | | | | which has recently been released after |
| online if you like. The real problem is | | | | an extended BETA testing stage. On |
| that people only really knew about a | | | | initial testing of the service, it seems |
| website by reading the address from some | | | | to be quite robust and give good output. |
| offline source such as a sales brochure, | | | | Microsoft's foray into search was meant |
| business card or advertisement. When | | | | to cause great waves, and rumours were |
| the consumer went to the site, they were | | | | that google were dreading the day it was |
| presented with little more than they | | | | finally released. But in my opinion, |
| could get by reading the real world | | | | unless they come up with something more |
| glossy paper brochure. | | | | innovative, such as google has and |
| | | | continues to do, at this point they are |
| Along came the search engines to solve | | | | not much of a threat. The only threat I |
| the problem of finding web sites amongst | | | | foresee in the future, is if Microsoft |
| the vast majority of sites which were | | | | hard codes the search page into Internet |
| popping up on the internet all around | | | | Explorer, but I don't see this |
| the world. The original search engines | | | | happening, as consumer groups and the |
| were quite clunky, slow and easily | | | | government's anti-competition lawyers |
| manipulated. Various spamming methods | | | | would be down on them in a flash. So in |
| were adopted by the less scrupulous web | | | | the search arena, I guess we'll just |
| site owners to modify the results shown | | | | have to wait and see, but in the |
| by the search engines. Tricks such as | | | | meantime, it is wise to be tweaked and |
| repeating the keyword name over and over | | | | indexed for both google and MSN search. |
| again at the bottom of the html page, | | | | |
| and then changing the font to white were | | | | Google also recently shook up the free |
| often adopted, as well as copying the | | | | email market with their first offering |
| same page over and over again and | | | | called Gmail. Gmail is a free internet |
| linking them all together to boost a | | | | based email service offering users a 1GB |
| sites ranking. | | | | account, and new search capabilities |
| | | | within the system itself. At the time |
| Search engines soon cottoned on to | | | | of writing Gmail is still in beta |
| these methods, and eventually the | | | | testing stage, but with google's initial |
| majority of them were filtered out. For | | | | announcement, Microsoft and yahoo |
| the most part, databases were not very | | | | quickly countered and increased the |
| clean, and this combined with the | | | | limit of their previously measly |
| suspect (but evolving) algorithms left | | | | offerings. Once again, I guess we'll |
| the majority of the public disenchanted, | | | | have to watch this space. |
| and genuine website marketers scratching | | | | |
| their heads at how to tweak their sites, | | | | At the time when search engines were |
| and what to expect next. The searching | | | | first being introduced to the internet, |
| public were yet to see a search | | | | and the first primitive indexes, |
| algorithm that they were more than happy | | | | directories and listings compiled, a |
| with. | | | | variety of internet marketing gurus |
| | | | started to appear on the scene. At |
| Various companies such as and dmoz.org | | | | first, the majority of these marketing |
| tried to circumvent the search conundrum | | | | experts were simply marketing people who |
| by creating indexes of categorised, | | | | had made their way from the real |
| human approved web sites. For a while | | | | paper-based world to the electronic |
| these proved quite popular, but were | | | | world of bits and bytes that is the |
| very difficult to get listed in, and | | | | internet. Marketing methods promoted |
| required the directory companies to | | | | often included a heavy slant towards |
| employ an army of developers, moderators | | | | sales copy, colours and formatting of |
| and approvers to keep the directory | | | | your web site appearance, and then |
| running and clean. Of course, some of | | | | eventually submission to all the |
| these were paid, but the majority were | | | | directories and search engines which |
| volunteers. So considering the limited | | | | started to appear around the net. These |
| results that could be obtained from a | | | | gurus also promoted the use metadata, |
| directory, the searching public seemed | | | | keywords and other elements within the |
| to employ a combination approach when | | | | html. Eventually we were subjected to |
| conducting their searches, of both | | | | the unsightly and annoying barrage of |
| directories and search engines. | | | | spam email which internet marketers |
| | | | promoted. Fortunately for the internet |
| It was at this time, that search engine | | | | marketing gurus, they also had the |
| and directory companies started merging | | | | rights to distribute the software |
| and acquiring competitors via takeover, | | | | required for their clients to send mass |
| as the forecasters must have seen the | | | | email and make millions! (sic) |
| benefit of having a combination of both | | | | |
| search and directory (and less | | | | Finally we made it to where we are |
| competitors!) It was also around this | | | | today. But where are we? And where are |
| time, that many engines and directories | | | | we headed? Visit my website, and you'll |
| started charging for guaranteed paid | | | | find all my predictions for the future, |
| inclusion. The future looked dim. It | | | | and the most absolute up to date, |
| was at this time that a newcomer to the | | | | complete list of tools, tips and |
| scene decided to take their chances with | | | | resources that I think you should be |
| a newly created algorithm. Yes, google | | | | using right now, today, to be |
| was here! To the rest of the world, | | | | successful. |