There are definite benefits to having the most powerful search engine on Earth involved in your business. Since Google’s goal is to provide the most relevant, high quality content to Internet users, there isn’t much conflict here so long as your intention is to provide the best, highest quality content related to your product, service or other business. But what happens when that big, powerful partner is at odds with you and your business or, through some mistake or miscalculation, your business is hurt in the process? We look today at the pros and cons of being involved with Google, and why using its resources may be more important to small business than ever.
Trends
The google revamp and how it affects small business. A recent change in Google’s algorithm has probably been the single biggest story of the last week for Internet marketers with many small businesses that rely on Google results still trying to calibrate the overall impact on their sites. As Scott Jones, chief executive of ChaCha Search Inc. explains “Google has an enormous amount of power to make or break businesses.” The question is how this power will be used. WSJ
Sites that were most impacted by the Google algorithm change. Do you use any of the Websites contained on this mammoth list for your online marketing? If so, be aware that the sites listed here were among the biggest losers of both index visibility and keyword rank in the big Google shake up. Did the change affect your small business Website at all? And were the sites and services affected important to your online marketing strategy? Learn more. Search Engine Land
Strategy
Been affected by the new changes instigated by Google? We hear ya, says Web marketer Andreea Townsend Cojocariu. Google’s algorithm shift was instituted to catch posters of low quality content and prevent them from gaining better ranking on the search engine. But if your small online business happened to get caught in the middle, here are some fixes you might consider. Network Solutions
How algorithm change alters approach to online business. The recent algorithm change by search giant Google may be among the most transforming of its kind to date, but how will it really affect business on the Web. Among other things, certainly business models may be affected (especially if the sites hardest hit had advertising as a major revenue.) What business model shifts might we see in the future as a result? Capture Commerce
Tips
What are the benefits of working with Google? Plenty, in fact, says Jamie Fairbairn, a small business blogging consultant who argues that one of the most important benefits is to get yourself listed in the search engine’s powerful “Google News” search. “It’s time to shout about your business,” says Jamie. Here’s how. SearchBlogger
Should small business find another partner for e-mail? But as valuable as Google’s search and related features may be in helping your small business market itself online, other features outside its core business, like Gmail, Google’s well-known e-mail service, may not be as useful. Read about the glitch that prevented some members from accessing e-mail, contacts and folders recently and impacted an estimated 40,000 accounts. cnet
Tools
How Google Local will change the way you market your business. From global to local, Google remains a powerful force for small business and whether you’re trying to boost your business ranking around the world or right here at home, the search engine offers many features to get the word out about what your company…even if it’s to let people right around the corner know more about who you are and what you do. Daily News Transcript
Google and partner to help get Australia online. If you own a small business in Australia right now and don’t own a Website, you will soon have the opportunity to establish an online presence absolutely free courtesy of the world’s largest search engine and a popular accounting software provider. The question is, even if you really have no Website at all for your business at present, is this freebie really right for you? Smart Company
Final Thoughts
Google’s just not as important as it used to be. VC Chris Dixon suggests problems with the search engine’s results and millions being spent in gaming the system mean trying to rank highly with Google just isn’t a vaiable strategy anymore. Be sure to read the long and heated debate after the post! What do you think of the importance of search engines to your online venture? Chris Dixon’s Blog
Or maybe it is? One of the absolutes you can probably get away with in online marketing, as in many other areas of life, is that there are no absolutes. This being said, it could probably be argued that while Google may not be the online small business entrepreneur’s only partner, it remains a very important one. What is your strategy when it comes to Google? What benefits are there for you? Share your thoughts with the small business community in the comment section below. Search Engine Land
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Joel Libava
Another good mash-up, this time…Googleish.
(Is that a word?)
I’m hearing from folks that own high-traffic websites (100,000+ pv’s a month) that the Google changes have affected them, somewhat.
My question is this;
If the content is good to begin with, shouldn’t that stand on its own?
I know that too many keywords stuffed in posts aren’t good, etc.
However, good content is good content, right?
The Franchise King®