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