Adapting to Change: The Name of the SEM Game

Gone are the days when simply throwing up a website is sufficient to promote a product or service. In the beginning, some questioned whether having a website was even necessary to help their business thrive. Others who created sites may or may not have considered usability, style and form – think frames and multiple font sizes and styles on the same page. Some, however, were intuitive enough to realize that a company’s website was an extension of its business and that a well managed site was a critical component to its overall success.

As the use of websites continued to grow and evolve, so too did the need to properly index this massive array of information. ENTER: Search Engine technology. Just like its website counterpart, search engines, in terms of indexing information, have evolved from being somewhat simplistic in nature to what some may now consider downright confusing. Websites must continue to adapt to the changes of search engine technology. Maintaining a competitive edge online is becoming survival of the fittest. It’s now crucial to have a solid Search Engine Marketing (SEM) plan. Those who don’t, will find themselves left in the dust to their competitors. As search engine technology continues to evolve, who knows what the future holds?

In fact, in this month’s issue of OMMA (February 2007), Daisy Whitney writes in her article, Zooming in on Video Search, about the mad dash to find an effective indexing solution for video search. So far there are many contenders such as Truveo, Blinkx, ClipBlast and PureVideo. She also mentions looking out for CastTV which is scheduled to launch the first quarter of 2007. She writes that its technology is impressive because it has the ability to find specific pieces of video on originating sites, which few video search services have been able to offer.

With nearly 60% of all Internet users searching for video content per month, an efficient indexing solution is probably right around the corner. When this happens a floodgate of opportunity will open. What impact will this have on SEM? As it stands, blogging is a wonderful SEM tool. Web content is constantly fresh and updated – which spiders love. Web communities are often created as a result of  blogs – which people love. Will adding video to your site and having it properly indexed be the next “blog” of the future to increase visibility for your site? Will advertising your company’s product or service on web videos become a crucial element of your SEM strategy?

One thing’s for certain, the only thing that remains constant in SEM is change. The question is: Are you ready?