So waddup? Ya’ll want some goodiness for 2008? Can do! It probably doesn’t take a genius to sort out what exactly I see for 2008 (and beyond). I am looking at a brave new world of Search Optimization with the prospect that is the world of User Performance Metric influenced search rankings. There is no escaping he fact that Google will continue its course of becoming more ubiquitous and cross platform and device minded. From Operating systems and browsers (FireFox) to social media and mobile, we are sure to see more. Yesterday there was a trio of patents from Google relating to radio, and we have already seen them take a look at magazine’s and TV even (or TV-like at least). I was reading Alex Chitu’s predictions and he led off with Google looking to become one big social network. This all means more Google user accounts and that in turn will mean more default ‘personalized search’(PS) for search optimizers to deal with ultimately.
iGoogle on the rise
Of all of the Google services, the personalized Google home pages, inventively dubbed ‘iGoogle’ lead the pack as far as growth was concerned. TechCrunch was reporting recently that it was by far, the leading growth area increasing traffic a stunning 267% (over the last 12 months). As the die hard readers know, the pervasiveness of Google accounts was something this wired web Gypsy spotted on the horizon a while ago. Once again, the sticky part ere is that most folks with a Google service (and account) don’t realize that PS is turned on and so the number of people actually using personalized search (passively) is certain to be on the rise as well.
Let’s re-cap shall we? Google Battles Microsoft for World Domination Google User of the Future Google Profiles get Openly Social Personalized Search and User Performance Metrics Understanding Personalized Search The Art of Personalized Search Optimization Finding Relevance through User Performance Metrics
The DifferenceI intend on getting further away from SEO that is benchmarked simply by attaining a given rank on a given set of terms. For some time now I have been less and less inclined to look at things from that perspective as rankings already vary from data center to data center and flux is common. Add to that the areas where Social Media Marketing and SEO interact and we have a program that is best measured in terms of conversions and Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Adding in the rising implications of Personalized Search (and user performance metrics in general) and you have to start considering more robust analytics and tracking measures in my opinion. Fortunately I have always been a data geek and use a wide variety of analytics tools for a variety of purposes. In the coming months I will certainly look to post more about factor’s that are related to these directions. The ability to create enticing as well as engaging content will be at a premium and the ability to understand the user/visitor/consumer through analytics will ultimately enhance ones SEO efforts. What Else?Mobile Marketing – I have been playing around in the world of Mobile for a while and should be doing a series of posts on this area. More so in the area of SEO and Mobile, but some general marketing stuff as well. Social Media Marketing – I am still treading lightly around this enigmatic world of marketing, so you can expect some varied approaches on this front. Of particular interest will be an interview with SEP’s Jeff Qiupp who is a Social Media addict. That should be interesting as some Canadian boys chat over a brew. Conversions – as analytics start to crawl deeper and deeper into the world of SEO, one area that will get more play from me is the world of conversions. I have actually been studying and applying conversions tactics for years but haven’t written much as it is slightly off center to the theme here. Look for more on this in 2008 …. As always, there are sure to plenty of great opportunities to rant and ramble or simply play with the usual collection of wackiness that comes along in this business…. Happy New year to you and yers…. theGypsy
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