Why Social Sites are a Bigger Threat to Google Than Bing... and What it Means for Your Website

Given that Google attracts more than 2 billion visitors per day, and billions of dollars in profit every quarter, it's no surprise that Microsoft has tried so hard lately to make a dent in the search market by outlining a new and improved Bing.com.

But, despite their big investments and attempts at innovation, Google remains the market leader – it's just hard to out-Google Google, so to speak. But, that doesn't mean that there aren't threats to Google's market share – Facebook and Twitter are both steadily increasing their search capabilities and drawing more users at the same time.

This is interesting for the technology business market, of course, but also has implications for your website. That's because the trend that's taking place, where search and social are blending together into the same thing, is driven by customer demand. That is, people don't want more results, they want more targeted advice and useful content. In other words, they want an easier time finding what they're looking for.

That should lead any serious marketer to a few conclusions.

Think Before You Add Content

For a while, the rule of thumb on content has been "more." Now, however, that's changing into insightful, unique, engaging, and relevant. It isn't enough to simply add keyword-rich ethereality to your website or blog – you have to put out something that customers actually want to read to create a bottom-line effect.

This doesn't mean rehashing interesting information, either. Your articles need to offer your readers some genuine, relevant insight on the topics you're discussing.

Encourage Customers to Share More

If there's one thing that social media marketing has shown us, it's that customers want input and recommendations from other buyers that they either know, or are very much like themselves. Make it easy for them to share reviews and feedback online, since these can help you secure new accounts and orders much more effectively than your own sales material.

Search engine optimization, and especially the task of improving your Google rank, aren't going away any time soon. But, take a lesson from the growing influence of social sites and take advantage of the trends. Your customers might want lots of content, but they also want more of a nudge in the right direction.

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This article is presented by TastyPlacement, an Austin SEO company. For more information on internet marketing, visit their site.