SEO - Google, Yahoo and MSN
Search engines are very popular these days, especially if a consumer is looking for something and just doesn’t know quite where to start. Among the most popular sites are Google, Yahoo, and MSN. According to surveys conducted which you can find at this site: http://marketshare.hitslink.com/search-engine-market-share.aspx?qprid=5 , Google has the best results. With 70-80% using Google as their preferred search engine, this site has proved to be the top competitor between sites. Yahoo, with 10-20%, and MSN with 5% find themselves far behind Google, but are still used quite a bit.
When looking into search engines to use, others that are available are those such as AOL, or Ask. Since these aren’t as popular, it isn’t recommended that these are really worth spending your time or money on at this time. You’ll find that between the top three ranked search engines, rankings are similar no matter which site is used. Of course if you are looking to work with the most popular, then Google will be your choice by far.
When looking at search engines on more of a Global perspective, some may wonder if these statistics are still true. You’ll find in places like China for instance, there are strong competitors like that of Baidu, which Google works to compete closely with. Overall, Google works hard to keep its site relevant no matter where the user of the site is located, and will be helpful regardless of your geographic location.
Search engines all have the same goal: to increase ad revenue while working to build a loyal audience at the same time. Mainly they work to build a search engine site that will be comfortable for the user and also effective so that their audience will remain loyal to their site. Fighting spam is also important to these sites, all sites offer terms and guidelines so that it can be clear what is considered spam. At Google, users are able to go to the Google Webmaster area to keep up to date with this information at http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/ .
These guidelines are important and should be taken seriously when looking to create a site that has great exposure. Be sure that you stay within the rules and regulations which will keep your site from being considered spam. Stay true to what your site’s purpose is, and make sure that it stays true to what your consumers are looking for.
