Learning SEO

[Clinton]

SEO is doomed simple because search engines are doomed. Even Google.

Things will evolve and people will find other ways to get to information they need.

That may seem a bit far fetched, but for those of you who have been around a bit cast your mind back a few years. Remember the time when portals and directories were all the Big Hopes for the future of the web? Nobody could conceive the internet not having directories. Fast forward a few years and hardly anybody would notice if all the world's directories disappeared overnight. The same thing will happen with SEs.

But I'm scaring Alco unnecessarily. In the short term there's still mileage in the SEO business

I have done some google searching and have purchased one or two reference books (eg Art of SEO)

If you're too fat and need to lose weight you'll find there are people marketing all kinds of complicated solutions. Deep down you know the simple answer is to eat less and move more. Same thing with SEO. There are a lot of complicated answers but the simple truth is you need good content and lots of links from a variety of sources.

You can also get to the top of SEs by tricking them and fooling them. They're regularly fooled on an industrial scale. But that's a game for advanced players.

About sources to learn SEO: There's SEObook and SEOmoz and other bloggers and a million forums. Be careful you don't get caught in paralysis by analysis.

[JockP]

Point for discussion.

At a bbq on the weekend and this topic came up.

I'd give it 3-5 years before the sh*t hits the fan, both in the internet space and american falling over.

The only constant is change.

There will still be massive demand for those who can control traffic online.

Recent google changes mean articles from eza etc. aren't ranking as well in the SE's. I believe people are now going to move towards video to get those rankings.

Clinton, what will search engines be placed with and why ?

[JockP]

Here are some pro seo articles -

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/d...ot-dead/20582/

http://searchengineland.com/seo-is-h...ever-die-50192

http://searchengineland.com/is-seo-d...-reality-32113

I am more of the opinion that it will change in terms of how we do things, but the fundamentals of good content etc. will still remain.

[Clinton]

Jock, if I knew what search engines were going to be replaced with I'd buy lots and lots of shares now

But I can see a variety of models replacing SEs. If there were companies specialised in indexing the web and sorting data based on a variety of criteria, users could set options in browsers or in installed search software to pull data sorted to their personal preference. When looking for a good book to read you'd rely on "likes" from a groups who match your book reading preferences. When looking for a digital SLR camera you'd adjust your criteria to place more reliance on expert opinions. If your search term includes "price" your software would use price comparison engines.

Some would use for the search requirements their favourite social network ... and use that exclusively. Even today millions sign on to the net everyday and go no further than FB.

What do you think will replace SEs?

[JockP]

What happened when radio was invented - They thought newspapers would die.

What happened when TV was invented - They thought radio would die.

Neither happened, the new medium just took up it's slice of the pie.

I don't think SE's will be replaced as such, I just think there will be less reliance on them as new mediums come into play (facebook etc.)

You make the comment above about personal preference searching....is that not what Google is trying to create ?

I believe we will all have to be ready for change, and change quickly and regularly to stay on top of things.

This is not positive or negative I am just stating my opinion and if I knew the next big thing I would be right behind you buying up those shares.

In regards to facebook, I have always wondered why they don't have a search feature where you can search for stuff people have said. When I bought my mountain bike, I had 3k to spend and I made my buying decision based on forums and reviews as well as friends opinions etc.

Then what about smaller priced items ? Are you going to put in the same amount of effort, or are you going to go straight to google, type in the term and get the first things because it is quick and easy.....all points for discussion.

I like google, it makes me money, Thus I'm happy for it to stay around. However I understand that a table with one leg falls over, that is why there is still going to be a need for the basics.

Research
Content
Traffic
Conversions

Master those and you will be right for a lifetime. The only real variable in that formula is traffic.

[grynge]

What happened when radio was invented - They thought newspapers would die.

What happened when TV was invented - They thought radio would die.

Neither happened, the new medium just took up it's slice of the pie.

I love it when people come up with the newspaper/radio/tv set of examples.

What about silent movies?
What about black n white movies?
What about black n white tv?
What about beta/vhs/vcd/dvd/blueray
What happened to dialup/broadband
What happened to cassettes/45's/78's

new technology nearly always overtakes old technology but for 1 glaring fact USABILITY

The mini disk was too small for people and they were afraid they would lose them
They built a better mousetrap but forgot women don't like to empty mouse traps, they like to throw them out.

I have no doubt in some period of time google will be the underdog and a new player will be the new google. Not saying they will die all together but it happens to all businesses just a fact of life.

[Clinton]

To follow up from my prediction that search engines are doomed... here are some predictions from a director at Bing:

Stefan Weitz, who is shaping Microsoft's search engine as it goes head to head with Google's, predicts search will disappear in the next few years.

They won't go bust, but if they wish to survive their very DNA will need to be changed to make them completely different beasts.

Weitz argued that within ten years, the search box will be "as antiquated as a rotary dial phone," while search will be the "invisible agent."