Future Evolution of Search
By Scott Van Achte, Senior SEO,
StepForth Search Engine Placement Inc. (http://www.stepforth.com) (c) 2006
The search engine world never rests. As online marketing
professionals discover new ways to obtain top rankings the
algorithms evolve right along side. There are two primary
reasons behind the updating of ranking algorithms. To increase
the quality and relevancy of the results, and to decrease the
many pages of online spam.
As the algorithms are updated, new ways to affect the results
are discovered, and the algorithm must then be again adjusted.
This is a cycle that has been around since the early days of
search, and one that won't be going away any time soon. A lot
has changed over the years, and the future is sure to also
deliver its plethora of surprises, but there are three main
factors that will always have some level of impact on your
search results.
SEO, Content and Links
Some people say that the world of search engine optimization is
over and that the entire basis behind successful rankings lies
in the power of incoming links. While incoming links do play a
significant role, and in most cases are a necessity, they are
far from the only determining factor.
There are many determining factors behind what will affect the
ranking of a site. The three largest contributing factors are
SEO, links, and site content. To compete in highly competitive
industries a site needs numerous on-topic pages of content,
relevant incoming links from a variety of sources, and, solid
site optimization. While search is always changing, these three
factors will remain constant. Each may change in the level of
impact they have, but they will always contribute to the top
listings.
Site content and SEO go hand in hand. Content is very important,
but without the SEO to add focus, it can go unnoticed. Proper
keyword densities, link paths and keyword placement will always
play a role in having the content discovered and ranked by the
search engines. If the fundamental SEO aspects are not in place,
there is a strong chance that the content may never see the
light of day. Incoming links add focus and relevance for the
site overall, but if the content is not relevant to the desired
phrases the odds of obtaining a top ranking are very bleak.
Links play, and will continue to play a strong role in the
future of search rankings as they add that important vote of
confidence. When site A links to site B, that tells the search
engines site B is worth considering. Value is passed, based on
relevance and the overall authority of site A.
As more and more webmasters develop new linking schemes, the
algorithms responsible for displaying top sites have to
continually evolve to weed out the ever increasing amounts of
spam. While Google's current algorithm relies heavily on
incoming links, especially for sites in highly competitive
markets, this algorithm will have to change and mutate over time
as the internet continues to evolve. If rankings were determined
100% by inbound links where would this leave us? Thousands, if
not millions, of valuable websites would go completely unnoticed.
We would also see many sites ranking that are not relevant to
the actual search term due to issues related to Google bombing.
Political opinions aside, the single word "failure" does not
accurately represent the George Bush bio page; however, it
continues to rank #1 in Google. This was made possible by the
anchor text used in links posted by thousands of bloggers and
webmasters. If links were solely responsible for rankings, we
would see a lot more examples of Google Bombing as the actual
number of links required to 'bomb' would decline.
Where is Search Going?
For us to know the exact future of search we will have to wait
and see what happens, but some things are certain to grow in
popularity.
The future will undoubtedly see more advances in localized
search, serving results relevant to the locality of the
searcher. Is this the best way? Only time will tell, but even if
this is the future, we will still see SEO, links & content
dictating the results. The SEO and content will have to be in
part geared towards local information such as zip codes, city
names, etc, but they still will be important contributors.
Links will undoubtedly contribute to rankings long into the
future, but quite possibly will have a reduced role with more
SEO fundamentals making a comeback. One example is to take a
look at MSN Live Search. As reported by Ross Dunn in the SEO
BLOG (http://news.stepforth.com/blog/2006/11/
msn-algorithm-update-nov-3rd-2006.php) just this past weekend
an algorithm update has shown increased value on fundamentals
such as title tags and domain names. These two areas were once
an incredibly powerful tool in obtaining rankings, and had
reduced in value. Now, at least in MSN, they are gaining ground
once again.
Still in its infant stages, Mobile Search is growing as more and
more people turn to their cell phones and other mobile devices
for search. Mobile search will likely have the most benefit for
localized type searching. People looking for an address, weather
report, local business, entertainment information, etc. As time
goes on the number of users using Mobile Search will continue to
grow, and optimized sites will be the ones found by these
searchers. A whole new level of optimizing mobile websites will
likely emerge.
In 10 years time search will certainly look very different.
While it has become a staple in the lives of millions, in the
big scheme of things the internet is still very young and search
even younger.
Why SEO will always be important
SEO will always play an important role in having sites found in
the search engines. Regardless of how search algorithms evolve
they will always require a level of on site content in order to
correctly rank websites. As long as this content is considered,
proper keyword placement and frequencies will play a role.
SEO in itself will continue to change. The proper frequencies of
keyword placement, linking techniques and URL structure may
alter, but will always have an impact.
As we move into the future and as the search engine algorithms
continue to evolve SEO will always play an important role in
having your websites obtain top rankings. While the small things
will always change it is important to have the basic
fundamentals in place and doing so will help sustain consistent
rankings into the future.