Lesson 2: Search Engines

What are Search Engines?

A search engine is a software system that has been designed to carry out searches on the world wide web (which is abbreviated as WWW) and produce results for the indvidual or entity who has posed the web search query. The concept of Search Engines and what they are is critical if you wish to be successful in your SEO campaign, and to not waste time, energy, effort, and money along the way.

What does this mean for you as a business?

Because each search engine is private software, they operate by their own rules. Those rules apply to the methodology in which they produce results, and as such, they apply to you directly and are subject to change at any time.

What is the best Search Engine?

When people think of SEO they commonly equate the idea with Google and the stories of fame and fortune that coincide with a number 1 ranking. However, there are numerous search engines, and depending on our business, your target market, and location - the value of an "alternative" search engine may actually be higher than that of Google.

Each search engine has a compiled demographic of users - and while Google has upwards of 86% of the market share - it also has the highest cost for ad placement, and the density of SEO competition for listing is also the highest.

Bing, while considered the annoying very small third cousin twice removed to Google actually has surprisingly valuable demographics across their user base.

Notably, Bing is used by the older generation (found in one study to be as a result of Bing being pre-loaded on Microsoft technology and people's inability to change their default browser). Regardless - here are some stats.

The moral of the story is - Google is the mecca, but may take a lifetime to see a substantial return whereas smaller search engines can have a much faster return on investment. Do you research to determine which option is best for you.