Google is still under pressure from many sides. There is news of an attempt to break the company up under antitrust legislation in America. This follows objections from around the world to its growth into areas beyond the core search facility. Is this a problem for anyone involved in search media?
This should not make any difference to the way search engine optimisation specialists work. Using search optimization on enterprise’s domain to elevate its natural search engine positioning will still be necessary, no matter what happens. The cost of defending itself against the world is proving expensive, which could explain all of the work by Google to attract more paid publicity, but that will not affect those preferring to concentrate on improving a website’s natural placement.
Most of the complaints against Google appear to focus on its growth into additional facilities beyond the basic search facility. In its desire to become the source of all knowledge, Google is building subsidiary businesses such as Books, Maps and Earth. These have their place, but are peripheral to the basic needs of search media.
If the antitrust actions did lead to fragmentation of the company, it would be interesting to see what happens. Would the central search facility be separated? Would it survive under a new owner but with the same name? A lot of the British enterprises using the Virgin name have little connection with Richard Branson himself. Google has become such a brand name for search that many specialist search engine optimisation consultancies define their fees to client companies in terms of a Google page one search engine positioning. If Google search was devolved, it will have a slight effect on those search optimization consultancies. It will not be a great problem to derive a new definition of success. For the ordinary user, using Google as a verb to describe a search would probably continue even if it was renamed – after all, how many people actually own a vacuum cleaner made by Hoover?
The essential methods of search optimization will continue. Websites will need the examination that leads to technical adjustments to make a page more noticeable on a results page. Selecting keywords and the best pages with which to couple them will still be needed. Off-page processes to promote those keywords through the publication and dispersal of items will still be needed. All the effort being made now to make the search platforms recognise the importance of the website’s content will still be needed to assist in improving its natural placement. Optimization professionals will still discuss the merits and ethics of different techniques and complain about whichever business is the dominant player at the time.
What is happening to Google is not new and is no worse than similar actions against Microsoft over the years. There will always be objections when one business continues to grow at a high rate and tries to dominate. There have always been alternative web browsers to that provided by Microsoft, and there will always be alternative search platforms to Google. However, even if Google did break up, it would not impact the basic operation of search engines. Using search engine optimisation to obtain a better natural search engine positioning will still be worthwhile as it works across all search platforms.