A bit of a strange question

[paul350]

Anyone who has learned anything about earning money on the internet knows that one of the best sources of free traffic is from search engines. We all know about the major engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The search market has become a market worth several billion dollars a year, so it probably comes as no surprise that new engines are popping up in a regular basis. Many of these minor search engines have come and gone, but more continue to come in the hopes of stealing a piece of the Google market.

 

The internet has been the modern gold rush, and it only continues to attract people searching to find a fortune. It also sends many people away broke, and with nothing to show for their time and efforts. Many search engines have come to the market, and new engines come to the market every day. The key to a successful search engine is the ability to provide people with the most specific results possible in the shortest amount of time. I find the idea of a digital product becoming so valuable and capable of producing so much cash flow. With billions on the table, it comes as no surprise that people want a slice of the pie.

 

I became curious about search engines and what has made them so powerful. I often find myself asking what the next level of search engines could be. I began looking on the internet to try and discover more about the reasons people choose search engines, as well as what makes a search engine so successful. I eventually found myself browsing this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engines on Wikipedia. I was amazed to learn that there were tons of search engines that arrived on the scene before Google, and that it wasn't until 98 that Google completely changed the landscape of search engines by developing a profitable business model.

 

The search engine business has exploded over the past decade and a half. These programs are constantly evolving in new ways in order to provide the best search results possible. They are watching what we read and click on, and are beginning to offer advertisements based on our interests and desires. Google tracks everything it possibly can in order to learn more about how we browse the internet, and what our interests are. I think it is brilliant, but there are other models coming to the market that will certainly influence the future of search engines and how they produce income for both the owners of the search engines, but also for those who are able to rank in these websites. Some search engines are beginning to develop a social side to things. Some new programs allow people to comment about different search results for example. This approach off allowing users to interact more with the results that come up will certainly be a major aspect of the future of search engines.

 

I thought I would come and ask you folks a few questions to help gain some clarity about search engines. My first question is what engine you use, and why do you choose to use that program instead of another? I also have a question for webmasters. Do you believe it is worthwhile to try and rank in a bunch of these smaller search engines, or would it be smarter to rank in one major search engine such as Google? What types of features would you like to see added to a search engine? What do you think would make these types of services more valuable to you? I am curious what people want from a search engine that is currently not being provided for.

[Steve Krause]

Hi Paul -- wow you really thought about search engines.... What kind of website do you run?