Google Knows You Better
Google provides the most reliable search service on the Internet. People would get lost without the easy access of information through the search engine, and help keep modern society afloat. Google is still a business, though, and it needs to make money.
The best way for a search engine to make money is through paid positions. Companies pay Google to put their websites at the top of the list based on a set of keywords. But, this didn’t seem to be working as not as many people were clicking on these paid positions. So, Google decided to change a few things.
Everyone’s Keeping Up
Back in early March, Google announced that they will be implementing a set of changes to the algorithm of how the search appears in the results page. To keep things short, paid positions get more favourable positions, while organic sites become second banana.
Obviously, not everyone was happy. Noted industry specialist Bambrick Media explained that the changes meant that SEO companies had to alter their strategies, adjust their ongoing projects, and use a lot of money on tasks that should be over already.
Did the changes really do anything, though? Apparently, companies were extremely happy with the results of their web traffic – for three months. According to companies surveying the changes, the initial reaction was for paid rankings (SEM), which outranked organic searches (SEO) by as much as 75% during the first month.
But, it didn’t last long, as activity for both results levelled out by May, and eventually returned to pre-change levels in the following month.
Everyone’s Happy – Sort of
This puts Google in a very good position with its two audiences – companies and users. The search engine made the necessary changes to keep their business partners happy –for a time, while keeping its promise to users of a more accurate and enjoyable search experience. So, what happened?
Google demonstrated how much it understands user behaviour. People go on the Internet to look for specific pieces of information. If they don’t find it, they go somewhere else. Rankings matter a lot in this race, especially if everyone is offering the same thing.
