subject: Marketing Local Business Online - How Can I Best Benefit From Search Engines? [print this page] Why do Search Engines matter to you and your Local Business? Marketing local business online depends on being found in online media. Unless your market already knows where you are, they must search for you. Today, the most popular tool with which to search the Internet are Search Engines.
First and foremost, you must understand how Search Engines work. Then, you must understand who are the Search Engines' best customers.
How do Search Engines sequence results?
Initially, web site administrators manually submitted their web site information to be included in Web directories, often for a fee. Often as part of their business model, these "search engines" featured these sponsoring web sites according to the amount of fees collected.
By 2000, the Google Search Engine was gaining popularity among searchers because it achieved more relevant results with an innovation called PageRank. Google developed an algorithm to rank web pages based on the number, trust and authority of other web pages that link back to them. Google's premise is that good and desirable web pages are linked back to more than less desirable web pages.
Now, major Engines operate similarly. How each Search Engine decides which pages match best and in what order varies widely from one engine to another. The methods also change over time as Internet usage changes and new techniques evolve.
What is an algorithm?
An 'algorithm' is an effective method for solving a problem expressed as a finite sequence of instructions. Each algorithm is a list of well-defined instructions for completing a task. In computer science, a search algorithm is an algorithm for finding an item with specified properties among a collection of items. There are also many algorithms designed specifically for retrieval in very large databases, such as bank account records, electronic documents, product catalogs, fingerprint and image databases, and so on.
Each Search Engine uses a proprietary algorithm to index and return only meaningful results for each search query. The index is built from the information stored with the data and the method by which the information is indexed. While millions of web pages may include a particular keyword, some pages are more relevant, popular, and authoritative than others. Search Engine usefulness depends on the relevance of the results it returns on each search query.
Who are Search Engine customers?
Major Search Engine business models are for-profit. Each SERP has a clearly defined topic and targeted theme. Money comes from paid advertisements strategically placed on each SERP. Each ad includes a Web link to the advertiser's web page. Advertisers pay for these ads to attract people searching for particular keywords.
No Engine has control over the content of the universe of web pages. The better an Engine responds to each search, the more money that Search Engine is likely to make.
These Web searchers are becoming more sophisticated everyday. Everyday, more and more people search the Internet to find and buy more and more. It stands to reason that Search Engines will continuously hone their search algorithms to continuously improve profitability.
What is a Search Engine? Perhaps, it is the key to your Local Business prosperity ...
It's no longer enough to sit back and wait for new customers to stumble upon your Local Business. Fact is, in these times, your customers are more sophisticated than ever. Barraged with thousands of "Buy-Me" messages everyday, they are determined to find for themselves true value. They are not waiting around for your message; but, they are seeking what they want to buy on the Internet.
Therefore, Marketing Local Business online is your new imperative. Now that you understand Search Engines, how they work and who uses them for what, it is time for you to seize the day. Use the Search Engines to market your Local Business. Put yourself in front of your customers. Take the initiative.
Marketing local business online is simply placing interesting and relevant content about you and your business everywhere on every Search Engine results page. Be found!
