Search Engine Optimization. The topic that keeps everyone busy. Show up in the top 10 on for example Google might give you alot of extra visitors. And search engine visitors are not ‘normal’ visitors. They are looking for something (they are using a search engine), and people that are looking for something are clicking more on ads than people that are returning or saw your link on a forum signature.
The current paradigm of 1 query, 1 page of 10 organic results holds. The entire SEO industry is hanging on this paradigm. Today, link baiting/building, optimization, competitive intelligence and all the rest are aimed at securing a top spot in the organic results.
But what happens when there no longer is a ‘top spot’, because every result is personalized, based on your geographic origin, your behavior, your past search history or preferences you have shared with the search engines?
This is where search is going…
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January 17th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
[...] The SEO industry might Fall, when there no longer is a ‘top spot’, because every result is personalized, based on your geographic origin, your behavior, your past search history or preferences you have shared with the search engines?read more | digg story [...]
January 17th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
There will always be “oldschool” search engines out there. Some will like this “personalization” of results, but I garauntee there will be a large following of people who feel they are missing something because of filters/screens that these “new results” emplore to create their findings.
Despite that, search engines still have to, well, SEARCH! You may not have a “top spot” per se, but you still need to be recognized as relevant to even enter into the arena of search results. Following good web development methods and using SEO will still be required to even be examined in this personalized inquiry.
I forsee SEO to be something used well into the future.
January 17th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Why would your website not be a top spot? If your at the top for a certain search term when all of this ‘personalization’ starts, you would hope that the user would click your site. The search engine would realize this and always return your site. This would also work for someone who has similar browsing habits as the 1 user that visited your site, and thus it would give it to them as a result.
Personalization of search engines could in theory give you more results in search engines just as much as it could give less, I would think.
January 17th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
It’s a give/take relationship. In some cases you’re going to want something more personal and local, but in some cases you want the best there is. If I want sports news I want ESPN, not my local affiliate.
January 17th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
I hope this will not happen, but I road alot about this, and I think this is going to happen, but maybe with a search option: local / world
or something like that
January 17th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Makes sense to me, simple logic and as always - excellent observation. You’re doing fairly good on Digg too, sure this will add some subscribers at least.
To be honest - I’m no SEO expert, I’ve learned a bit about it and shared my experience about it on my blog, but i don’t really know how this -industry- is formed.
I’m not worried about it because i don’t depend purely on SEO, sure - I do use smart headlines that combine both SEO and catchy words to attract my non-SE readers…but that’s about it. And that’s about what the good, white-hat quality sites and blogs should be doing in order not to wake up one day and see your traffic falling by hundreds of percents.
I guess the story is a bit different for blackhats and SEO companies though.
Allen.H
January 17th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
I’m with Allen H. on this in my SEO approach. Good point of view, though, Nomar. Anything is possible, and that certainly sounds more likely to happen than some other scenarios I’ve read about.
January 17th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Thanks for your opinions !!
January 17th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
SEO is going nowhere! It will never fall!
January 18th, 2007 at 12:26 am
[...] There is an article, “The Entire SEO Industry Might Fall,” posted by Nomar of King Nomar dot Com, that suggests that there won’t be a “top spot” because of personalized search results. [...]
January 18th, 2007 at 4:55 am
This was a great post!
January 18th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Entire SEO industry might fall how you can say…If totally shut online marketing then it would be possible…But in uk as well as us market based on online then hoe is it possible….Means in google, Yahoo, MSn they show results and everybody fight to come on the top…If they run only paid advertising then it’s a matter of Money…If they provide fresh content it’s good otherwise with the help of paid advertising we are not able to get fresh results…
Thanks
January 18th, 2007 at 8:33 am
I agree that in the near future google would apply some user analytics and personalization functionality but I don’t think they would get rid of non-personalized search, remember people don’t always search the same banana.
January 18th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Forcing certain results on users will always be optional. Stop crying wolf.
January 18th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
I get about 75% of my traffic from search engines.
January 18th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
really ?? that is alot Steve, I get only about 6/7 % from search engines
January 18th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Next time you visit my site check the “sitemeter” link on the left side. From there you can see all sorts of traffic information about my blog traffic.
January 18th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
I will check that out !!
January 24th, 2007 at 6:05 am
This is a little disheartening to someone like me who makes a living based on writing for the web (and as a result, working with SEO whether it’s a primary goal or not).
February 7th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
[...] AlleNation reader Nomar claims The entire SEO industry might fall because of the implementation of personalized search options. [...]
March 20th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
[...] The Entire SEO Industry Might Fall [...]
January 7th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
The Entire SEO Industy Never falls Because in future every thing will be depends on Online
No one want to wait in Que
February 20th, 2008 at 3:39 am
I know, seo is a huge target niche to be in
April 27th, 2009 at 3:15 am
Makes sense. However, as someone else pointed out, you sometimes don’t want personalised results. I’m in London and 50% of the time I use Google.com rather than Google.co.uk