Google friend or foe, as a monopoly its no good to anyone!

[davidgwalker]

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed we are becoming slaves to Google - hanging onto every new technical word it utters, even though we could be following propaganda put out by the Matt Cutts of this World to steer us in its desired direction. We contemplate whether our sites will rise or fall as it applies the new changes. No wonder either as Google conducted 58.5% of all web searches during November 2007 (23rd Nov 2007: http://www.computing.co.uk/2204189 ), while at the same time the other giants like Yahoo and Microsoft continued to lose ground. All other search engines are desperately clinging onto the remaining rapidly diminishing share.

Its a bizarre power shift with "...young executives wearing ripped jeans recline on multi-coloured beanbags while discussing billion-dollar projects." (1st Dec 2007: source). But need we be concerned when Google was borne with the premise of "do no evil". You will not find that phrase on Google, but will find an excuse if it does do evil! Its a business and must make a profit, see "Ten things Google has found to be true", thing 6: http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html

Whats BAD about all this:

Google has become too financially powerful: vacuuming up other companies with any potential in its target arena.

Google is moving towards mobile phones - "95% of users keep their phone within 3ft of their person at all times" (1st Dec 2007: source). And along with this will come "personalised search" which has major privacy issues involved.

Whats GOOD about all this:

Google search pages now use less than half the screen area to display organic links when searching using a premium keyword or phrase. This is good for Google as it means it can monetise your searches with its adverts from paying merchants.

But whats even better is the fact that this type of over-use of adverts saw the demise of many of the good search engines at the start of this millennium when Google just started to get its "foot in the search engine door". At that time, less than eight years ago, Google was fresh, fast and did not display any adverts:
http://web.archive.org/web/200002290402 ... oogle.com/

Now it maybe the time for a competitor to move in and offer us all an alternative to Google which could help loosen the leash that Google now has...

until then its back to optimising those pages just to satisfy Google.


Want to make a COMMENT? Hit reply - no login required...

[mjtaylor]

Google doesn't have a monopoly on the search market (monopoly = exclusive control. It does have the lion's share. And as long as you and I have a choice, Google doesn't not have a monopoly ...

Of course, as SEOs we care very much about understanding what Google wants and what will get a website to the top of the SERPs ... we may even care excessively and obsessively, but that's another choice we make.



MJ

[davidgwalker]

Hi MJ,

We certainly do have a choice, but for how much longer as it continues to gain more ground?

Monopoly is probably the wrong word (at least for now) maybe more appropriate would be to replace monopoly with dominance?

Thanks for your well thought comment

Dave.

[Guest]

Google is closing in on Microsoft as being the most valuable technology compnay:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/techn ... 6goog.html