“Everything I ever wanted to know I just ask a search engine and there’s the answer.”
Well, nothing can define the functioning of a search engine better than this statement which was made by Derek Sivers, the renowned entrepreneur who founded CD Baby – the largest online distributor of independent music.
Like Derek, there are millions of people around the globe who have no qualms in asserting that it is the search engine revolution that changed their lives. From big eCommerce stores to researchers, students, entertainers, teachers, stay at home parents – almost everyone has been benefitted with the arrival and continuous evolution of the web search engines.
Being the treasure troves of information, these search engines remain to be the most important key to unlocking facts about any and everything.
This article is an attempt to look at the last two decades of ‘Search’ – something that we have become habituated to today!
The Beginning of a Revolution
Over decades ago, people changed one of their most consistent habits. Their quest for knowledge saw a major turn when web browsers took the world by storm. Till that time, people usually relied on others to seek information about something. They used to turn to their best friends, parents, siblings, teachers or professionals in their fields to get answers to their queries. The search used to be manual basically. Some of them even used books, catalogs, yellow pages and professional databases to get the right responses to their queries. But with the initiation of search engine revolution and introduction to search engine optimization, everything changed. And it changed for the better!
Yahoo, Lycos, AltaVista, Excite, Open Text, Infoseek, and others were there to help people get the information that they want. They were the information seekers’ best friends, friends who had answers for almost all of the users’ queries.
Entered Google & it Changed the World
There are some inventions that can not be equaled, and Google is one such breakthrough. It was a browser that improved the world of search engine by leaps and bounds and the results are here for us to all see. Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin surely did a fantastic job with the creation of Google and today it tops the charts of popularity in most of the countries – giving the web users an unparalleled ease to search whatever they want.
In fact, many of the netizens call Google and search synonymous. This search engine has unquestionably outshined every other browser. Isn’t it?
Quality Winning Over Quantity
While searching queries became easier with the origination of Google and other major search engines like Yahoo, Bing, etc., the last decade witnessed a massive change in the way these web browsers operate.
At present, they are no longer governed by quantity. If businesses need to earn rankings, they can only do so by adopting quality, i.e. relevant, genuine and user-focused content.
Although attention to quality content initiated in 2004, over the years a strong emphasis on content has been developed and with discoveries like Google’s Knowledge Graph which was added to the search engine in 2012, the future for better content seems highly favorable.
The Power of Searching On-the-go
Need to search something urgently? Well, your phone has got you covered! With the coming of smartphones the world of search engines became smarter than what it was before. Now, users have got the power of search in their hands. No matter where you are, you can search whatever you want, whenever you want, all that you need is your mobile phone.
So, when search went mobile, the dependence on search engines increased way more than before. In fact, Google has confirmed that in many countries, searches that are conducted on mobiles outnumber those that are done on desktops.
This leaves no room for suspense. Mobile search has given new hopes to businesses worldwide. They are rejoicing, and so are the customers!
Marketing the Search
The search engines are ruling every space of the human world, and this has made it easier for businesses to expand their wings on the web. While consumers are happy relishing the fact that they can make purchases from wherever they want, businesses are enjoying better profits with a larger audience base. This has made it even more important for businesses to market their products right on the search engines.
Today, we have a booming world of online advertisements and search engine marketing which is soon going to change the very face of shopping on the web.
With so much that search engines have offered to the world over these years, there are no doubts that this is just the beginning. There is a lot more to come in the next few years.
Is your business prepared to make the most of these powerhouses of information called search engines?
