Evolution of Search Engine Optimization concept in the world of Internet Marketing

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Evolution of Search Engine Optimization concept in the world of Internet Marketing

The virtual world is getting closer to becoming a reality with the announcement of net-based operating system (Chrome OS) and cloud computing based data management services (Google Apps) by Google. The market is becoming fiercer day by day, and market biggies like Google and Microsoft are fighting it out face-to-face. This fierceness can go on until the initiatives driven by market biggies become a reality or may be until 2020.

Internet Marketing is a concept which became popular with Google emerging as the dominant leader in the search market. In 1998, Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when the two were attending Stanford University as Ph.D. candidates. Then the real game began. Internet Marketing was dubbed to be the technique of promoting websites over the internet or online medium to drive traffic to the website or business, and thus generating leads for the business.

The initial trend of online marketing before the days of Google was very simple and consisted of limited procedures to be followed. But, after the advent of the Google era, things changed. People started to think differently and new techniques of digital marketing came into existence as and when the search engines, especially Google, started to transform themselves as the blue water navies of the mighty ocean called the Internet or the Virtual World. Possible head-on collisions caused by the evolution of search engines were tackled by the introduction of different internet marketing techniques. Search engine optimization is one among them.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) technique was invented when the concept of search engines was first introduced to the members of virtual world during the 1990’s by search provides like Ask Jeeves, Lycos, etc. SEO has evolved rapidly since then.

During the initial days of SEO, the keywords or key phrases would be stuffed into the website profusely within the text content and the Meta Keywords tag, and the website would rank in search engines for related keywords. But, during the later stages, as search engines evolved, the concept of backlinks (virtual voting system) came into existence and it became a purely number game. Websites with lots of keywords stuffed into them and with more backlinks than their competitors would rank higher in search engine listings. This way of easy going SEO tactics was shattered with the emergence of Google.

Google entered the search market with a bang and changed the rules of the game completely. It started with the introduction of Google Bot (Google’s Search Engine Algorithm) and Google PageRank. Google introduced a new concept called quality into the market and websites with quality backlinks from quality websites or authoritative websites like .gov, .edu, .mil, and media websites, and with quality webpage content began to rank higher in Google’s search result for their respective keywords.

During this evolving era of search engines, webmasters used to gather in undisclosed online community forums and discuss the tactics and techniques of SEO. A Googler in disguise would assist them and provide insights of the Google search engine updates. But, this is no more followed except for the Black-Hat techniques, which are unethical ways of performing search engine optimization, and against the webmaster guidelines provided by the search engines. The Googler in disguise has emerged into the outer world with the identity and name Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s anti-spam team.

In today’s world, SEO is no more an easy play. It has evolved from the keyword stuffing and quantity days to a whole new era of quality and perfection. Many business owners still believe that anyone having a basic knowledge on SEO and internet or just by studying related content and reading study material can perform search engine optimization tasks. But, this myth is no more alive and search engine optimisation cannot be performed as it was being handled during the 1990’s. Since search engines have evolved and have come a long way in their sophistication, search engine optimisation can only be handled by an expert or an Internet Marketing Company in India. Today’s SEO expects precision in mathematical calculations and uses large volume of data, including analytics.

Thus it can be clearly stated that search engine optimisation is full of quality data gathering, analytics and precision achieved with calculations. As it is a highly competitive world that requires regular data analysis and performance monitoring of websites for related keywords on search results, it is better for business owners to leave all the complexities and headaches to experts, sit back and relax, and expect some good results.

The Evolution of Google Adsense

admin    Google     Adsense, Evolution, Google

The Internet has evolved into a complex “organism” which, to some, appears to have a life of its own. As the Internet has evolved, so too have online marketers and publishers. The dot-com balloon is said to have burst but savvy publishers have grabbed the coat tails of the Google search monster and employed Google AdSense on content-rich websites.

How Does Google AdSense Work?
The concept is simple: The publisher or webmaster inserts small code into a website. Each time the page is accessed, the java script pulls advertisements from Google’s ad server. The ads are targeted and related to the content contained on the web page serving the ad. If a web surfer clicks on an advertisement served from Google, the webmaster serving the ad earns a portion of the money that the advertiser is paying Google for the click.

Google handles all the tracking and payments, ultimately providing an easy way for webmasters to display content-sensitive, targeted ads, without the headache of having to solicit advertisers, collect funds, monitor clicks or track statistics, any of which could easily become a full-time job.

While Google AdSense, like many PPC programs, is plagued by claims of click-fraud, it is clearly an effective revenue source for many reputable online corporations. There seems to be no shortage of advertisers in the AdWords program from which Google pulls the AdSense ads. Webmasters seem less concerned by the lack of information provided by Google and more interested in cashing their monthly checks from Google

The Evolution of AdSense
While Google’s initial system was fairly rudimentary, only providing publishers the option of displaying a handful of advertising formats, the technology behind even the first ads was anything but simplistic. The technology used to employ Google AdSense goes far beyond simple keyword or category matching. A complex algorithm is used to determine the content contained on the web page serving the ad. Once the content is assessed, and appropriate ads that contain related content are served.

Early on, Google implemented a system that allowed publishers to filter advertisements from competitors or sites which they thought were inappropriate. Google also allows vendors to specify an alternative advertisement, in the unlikely event that Google is unable to provide related content ads.

The Progression of Google
Google has come a long way in understanding the needs of publishers and webmasters. Google now offers a system that allows full ad customization. Webmasters can choose from over 12 text ad formats and can customize Google ads to complement their website and fit into existing webpage layout. The options provided allow webmasters to select and create custom color palettes that match an existing website’s color scheme, making the ads a much more natural fit. Many websites have been able to implement ads into their site design using different ad formats and customizations.

Online Reports
Google recently took a huge step forward, providing publishers the ability to track their earnings based on webmaster-defined channels. Recent improvements to the Google AdSense reporting have resulted in webmasters having the capability to monitor an ad’s performance with customizable online reports that can detail page impressions, clicks and click-through rates. Webmasters now have the ability to track specific ad formats, colors and pages within a website. Webmasters can quickly spot and track trends. The new flexible reporting tools allows webmasters to group web pages by URL, domain, ad type or category, providing webmasters insight into what pages, ads and domains are performing the best.

Reporting is real-time, allowing webmasters to quickly assess the effectiveness of any changes. The new reporting makes it significantly easier for webmasters to optimize and increase click-through rates. Optional reporting allows webmasters to monitor traffic, viewing both ad impressions and page impressions.

Advertisers realize the benefits associated with having their ads served on targeted websites, increasing the likelihood that a prospective web surfer will have an interest in their product or service.

Truth Still Not Revealed :0
Google still does not reveal what percentage of the advertising revenue earned is paid to the webmaster serving the ads, but they have made strides related to disclosure, recently lifting the ban preventing webmasters from disclosing the amount they earn through serving Google ads.

The Evolution of PPC Marketing and Where it is Going From Here

admin    PPC     Evolution, From, Going, Here, Marketing

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising has already had a very long history. It was prevalent during the dot com boom at the end of the 1990s, but (due to rampant troubles with click fraud) was regularly abandoned by advertisers for advertisements on other websites in favor of CPA and CPS affiliate marketing.

The only central player that remained undeterred was the PPC launched by GoTo.com, subsequently renamed Overture.com and purchased in 2003 by Yahoo! Now it is known as the Yahoo! Search Marketing service.

PPC Advertising made a big return when Google launched its AdSense service on June 18, 2003, the day that can be called the certified lauch date of contextual advertising. Google launched their PPC service Google AdWords in 2000 and saw only mild triumph with it awaiting 2003.

Ask Jeeves, now cleanly Ask.com, followed with their PPC Service in 2005 called Ask Sponsored Listings and MSN.com, followed in 2006 with Microsoft AdCenter. Other large PPC services providers and Search Engines are Miva/FindWhat.com and 7Search.com.

Yahoo! launched its contextual advertising service, YPN or the Yahoo! Publisher Network, in 2005 (and now it is even better) and Microsoft has launched its contextual advertising service based on their new AdCenter PPC Service in 2006.

Click fraud is still a hindrance today and cannot be 100% avoided, due to the makeup of how PPC works. However, methods to preclude the troubles escalation have evolved while the dot com collapse in 2000. It is expected that the problem can and will be solved to diminish the effect of click fraud on the complete expense of PPC marketing and ROI to an acceptable number. The environment in which PPC is used has been altered. This increases the risk that the problems that triggered the “death” of PPC years ago will not initiate its demise today and will make it an advertising mold that is here to stay.

PPC advertising services nowadays are offed almost exclusively by large and unique providers. PPC plays almost no role in direct referral marketing between individual websites. Affiliate Marketing is king and will remain so for the foreseeable future.