Lucidity

If you’ve been relying on anecdotal evidence from polling your friends and colleagues to support your theory that the use of search engines is on the rise, read on. An August 6, 2008 report on search engine use prepared by The Pew Internet & American Life Project substantiates your claims. The survey finds that the percentage of American internet users who use search engines on a typical day has risen to “a new high of just under one-half (49%)” from about one-third of all users in 2002. According to Pew that places search, as an internet activity, very close to the use of email, which the report puts at 60% of internet users on a typical day, and describes as “arguably the internet’s all-time killer app.”

At the same time, a recent report from Ipsos Reid states that “three-quarters of online Canadians indicate they can usually find what they are looking for on the first page of search results.”

So how do you leverage the burgeoning significance of search, and capture the attention of potential consumers who are turning to it in such great numbers? Most importantly, how do you get (or ensure that you stay) on that first page of search results?

Most Canadian companies and organizations with a web presence and products or services to sell have made a foray into the world of search engine marketing (SEM), a seemingly esoteric practice made up of natural or organic search engine optimization (SEO) and paid or pay-per-click (PPC) search. What they, and perhaps you, are wondering is “what are we actually doing, and are we doing it right?”

In the coming weeks, we’ll attempt to demystify search. While we’ll examine aspects of both organic and paid search engine marketing, our focus will be on search from the point view of the consumer. Because that’s how search works. Search is user-driven – it’s about consumers asking questions.

Our approach will be two-pronged. We’ll shed light on SEM basics for those new to the process by defining key terms and practices, and we’ll take a look at analytical tools that can quantify and provide insight into your SEM efforts. At the same time, we’ll engage in more in-depth analyses of various aspects of SEM such as managing your brand footprint through link building, differentiating regional from global content to drive users to your site, the role of keywords in defining brand, and more. And we’ll be asking how we can learn about consumers through their search habits and provide them with the content (answers) they’re looking for.

In addition, we hope to augment our practical research with occasional side trips into more philosophical and personal territory – detours that acknowledge the very human aspect of search and the extraordinary ways that it infiltrates our lives.

We’re looking forward to our explorations and in particular, we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

The search team,

Jinnean Barnard, Patrick Dean, Stephanie Katsuras, Greg Emin, Carolina Gomez de la Torre, Vicki Waschkowski