There is a diversity of optimisation outfits out there. Some are unethical black hat organisations which will only do a site harm. Others adhere to ethical principles but this does not mean that they are necessarily effective. Professional SEO services spend a lot of resources monitoring the search world in order to deliver campaigns which outperform the campaigns of their competition. They do not concentrate all their attention on one area of search, however important that area might be.
At Searchengineoptimisation.co.uk we specialise in providing multifaceted and site-specific campaigns. As affordable SEO services, we never forget our responsibilities to our diverse clients. This means that we put a lot of effort into designing and implementing campaigns which make their sites work better. Gradualist improvements in site performance are sustained because the campaigns are frequently adjusted to respond to relevant changes in the sphere of search.
Monitoring and responding to Google is clearly a prudent step to take. Neglecting Google and the periodic changes which it makes would soon get a site into trouble. This is in part because the search engine can change its view on the definition of unethical behaviour by consultants or site owners. These attitudinal shifts are intended to keep the pressure on the industry to focus on pleasing users.
However, pleasing Google alone may leave space for rivals to capitalise on missed opportunities. As well as looking at ways of satisfying users on a site, it is imperative to exploit social media efficiently. In addition, it is critical not to overlook the potential of optimising for Bing. As an important search engine, Bing needs watching in terms of the way it works and in terms of its market share relative to other search engines.
Google has maintained its lead over Bing fairly steadily in recent months. However, the two search engines are continually changing what they have to offer. The competition is a spur to innovation. However, the rivals are not above plugging their own products. This can improve their popularity with satisfied users, but can be a source of discontent for those who perceive unfairness.
Quite recent research into this type of behaviour was conducted by Professor Josh Wright of George Mason University. This institution is located in Washington DC. The research discovered that while Google prioritised its own products in response to queries on a regular basis, Bing did so even more often. To be fairly precise, nearly 7 per cent of the Google queries studied brought back a Google product fist in the organic search results, whereas the equivalent figure for Microsoft stuff being first on Bing was over double that.
This finding may give Google a slight advantage over Bing, but it is wrong to overstate this. Importantly, Google’s recent changes to its algorithm may have more significant implications for the relative standings of the two search engines. The algorithm changes are complex, but they include a new determination to make freshness work. It is thought that just over a third of total searches will be affected by this decision. Bing may have to respond to this move.