The Blog on Branding

Google – Building an Empire One Search at a Time

It’s a noun, it’s a verb, it’s Google. In the last several years, Google has gone from simple search engine, to pop culture icon, even being referenced by the teen vampires of the enormously popular Twilight movie. The phrase, “Google it,” has become so mainstream, no one even flinches at its mention.

What might make some (namely search engines like Yahoo and MSN) flinch though, are the numbers that Google rakes in on a monthly basis.

Just over a year ago, Google brought in well over 60 percent of all US internet searches, defeating Yahoo, MSN and ask.com by wide margins. In the same study done by Hitwise this year, that percentage margin has only increased. Google now provides 72.74 percent of all internet searches in the US, a 7 percent increase from last year.

These numbers only mean bad news for MSN, Yahoo and Ask, all of whose search providing percentages dropped by at least 5 percent in the last year.

“Google dominates all other internet search engines.”

What makes Google so popular?

I mean, it could be the word itself. A silly word, selected seemingly at random that is easy to remember and impossible to forget. In actuality though, Google comes from “googol,” a mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros, representing Google’s mission to “organize the immense amount of information available on the web.”

Aside from the catchy-ness of the word itself, Google’s popularity is due, in large part, to the vast amount of information it can collect (it can search over 9 million urls) in a short period of time in a manner that almost anyone can use. It is currently the largest search engine in the world and has expanded into several other facets of the Web, including the popular (and stalker friendly) Google Earth and the Google Toolbar, which allows information seekers to search Google from any page on the internet.

If you know what you’re looking for, and you can type it in, then you can use Google effectively.

“What does ‘Google’ mean, anyway?”

Google is only as effective as its user

As easy as it seems to search Google for any given topic, with information coming at you from more than 9 million different locations, the results can be exhausting. Type in Britney Spears and more than 78 million results come streaming at you in .14 seconds. I’m sure if you were really interested in finding out everything you wanted to know about Britney Spears, simply typing her name in would work. However, if you’re more interested in finding out about her relationship with K-Fed, typing in a few more words will be necessary.

Under normal circumstances, it would seem that the fewer words you would type in, the better. Keeping it short and simple will get you the answer you’re looking for, right? Well according to the Hitwise survey, maybe not.

As Branding Brand’s Carrie Milford reported last month, the number of words in the average Google search is on the rise. Carrie reported that according to another survey done by Hitwise in February, the number of 4 to 8 word (and up) searches rose 20 percent last year.

Since then, as recorded in the most recent Hitwise survey, those numbers have risen again. Searches of between 5 and 8 words have risen another 7 percent, while searches of 8 or more words increased by 18 percent. And while the two word search remains the most popular taking almost 23 percent of the searches, the overall numbers of searches using 1 to 4 words has decreased by 2 percent.

So many words, so many results

The reasoning behind the increase in search terms is a sensible one. The more specific your terms, the more specific your answers. However, reinforcing what Carrie said, Google is not a human being. It doesn’t read minds, and it can’t always recognize what exactly it is that you want. Frustrating, I know.

Typing in filler words though, can just confuse Google. Typing in a phrase like “what is the difference between an onion and a leek?” will probably not get you the best answer because of all the filler words. It may answer your question, but not as well as it could if you simply typed in, “onion and leek differences.” Still specific, yet simplified at the same time.

“When using Google, try the following method:”

Ga-ga over Google

Google is an amazing tool to have at your fingertips, but improper usage can lead to some serious frustrations. However, Google can always promise you one thing – an answer – even if your search is non-specific or not simplified, which is a part of what has made it the world’s largest, and most popular search engine.

As rumors begin to swirl around Google and its possible purchase of social networking supergiant Twitter, it is clear that expansion is on the Google horizon. Maybe someday you’ll be able to tweet and search at the same time, all from the comfort of your own home, which you can live monitor via Google Earth.

Inbound link building involves being interactive on many different levels. The more levels you participate in, the better your chances for more inbound links, leading to a higher PR. Be active, be patient, and engage, engage, engage.

Brooke Keane Want content written for your Brand that shows up #1 on Search Engines and brings you new customers? Contact us.