Internet search is about more than just Google

In the late 1990s, Nielson NetRatings produced an interesting pair of statistics:

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         Search engine marketing is still as important today as it ever was. However, the places people are searching in have changed. Google, Yahoo! and MSN may be the dominant search engines, but the number of search entities is growing – sites where you can also search, but for more specialized content. You can find photos, videos, music, RSS feeds, blogs, and much more on these services without ever touching Google.

          

         This is the second benefit of uploading your site’s images to Flickr, or your videos to YouTube, syndicating your blog, etc. By spreading your message to several different sites that people can search, you are increasing the odds that they will find you.

          

         This article from Scoreboard Media Group gives just such a series of strategies for gaining site traffic without a search engine.

          

         I feel the larger message is the importance of both driving traffic towards your business and considering every place your messaging will drive them to. Think hybrid. You don't have to advertise only using on-line, or only using billboards, or only by sending out press releases.

         The idea should be to employ everything that can be of use.

       

      • Of all sites visited online, 80% are reached by people’s bookmarks
      • Of people’s bookmarks, 75% were found by a search engine query

About the Author: Eric Reid

I am the Social Media Services Manager for Off Madison Ave. I've been with the company since 2006, when I was hired to do SEO, and link building in particular. When social networking sites started cropping up, at first I started using them to create backlinks - but they weren't the best for that, given all of the "nofollow" attributes. However, I did see the potential for all of the direct referral traffic they represent. Since then I've been actively pursuing both tactics for clients: Links that can help them for search, and social postings that get them involved in the conversation. It's about the coolest job you could ever get. ;)

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