Searchnewz recently posted an article on the search trends to watch in 2009. Given the climate of this industry, it can be difficult to predict the next surefire method of capturing your Web audience. However, by contemplating what has worked in the last year and what major portals and sites are planning for the future, we can use the information in the link above to better map out strategies to help us win traffic.

A few notes on the Searchnewz definition of “holistic” search:

First, any significant media campaign or offline event drives search volume, so marketers must capture that demand by integrating search with other media planning.

Word of mouth is a tried and true method of advertisement that never goes out of style. Everything you plan for the coming year offline should have a site URL and an Internet point of contact attached to it, and a page created on any social networks where the event is most relevant. Embed signatures with URLs in e-mail, mark your website address on your return labels, let people know where you are.

…expect the major search engines and others to push forward with new ways to infuse paid search listings with display and video media.

Blended search is already the new buzzword, as Google and Yahoo are now integrating news feed and video results in with regular websites. Make your site more attractive to search by allowing the engines to find you in different ways. Video, RSS, weblogs, and social networking are the keys to this success.

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As a newer company or an established organization just coming to the Internet, you have a shorter window of opportunity to attract attention. Once your initial site is built, it is important to establish your immediately as an expert in your field in order to gain the trust of your visitors. In doing this, you also help your SEO through steady building of content and proper saturation of keywords under which you wish to be found.

Show What You Know

Being an expert doesn’t mean you have to give away any secret recipes or your entire plan of attack. However, if you want to show visitors exactly why they should choose your products or services over others you must provide some information to prove your validity and authority:

• Write Articles: Whether your sites promotes pest control or sells auto parts, a series of well-written, keyword rich articles can build a online library for visitors wanting to know more about what you do
• Podcast: If you work in consulting or another field which lends itself to promotion in other media, consider creating a weekly or monthly podcast about your services and the condition of your industry. Include tips and maybe success stories about current and previous clients to create a compelling broadcast.
• Video: If the products you sell would better be served with video demonstrations, consider not only embedding short video on your site but create accounts at social sites like YouTube for maximum exposure. Link back to your main site to improve link popularity and lend an interactive look to your site that can also help improve your results in blended search.

The more you know and share, the better your chances of being found online. Don’t just be a salesman, be an expert at what you know.

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Used to be when you entered a keyword into a search engine a list of static URLs resulted. Gradually, as search engines – Google in particular – grew, Web users could access navigation bars to find results for the same keyword in weblogs, image search, news wires, and video. With blended search, all findings are mixed on the same. Do a search in Google on “Barack Obama” or “The Dark Night” film and you may find links to YouTube videos, media blogs, products for sales on auction sites, and images in addition to actual websites. This is blended search, where all aspects of the Internet and social media are brought together to give the Web user a well-rounded view of what is available on the Internet.

As search engines gravitate more toward this paradigm, it is apparent that website owners need to keep up with the times. It is more important now than ever before to take advantage of social media options for your Web business so you can maximize your exposure on the Internet. The more you blend in with the tools available to you, the better your chances of being found among the mixed results when somebody searches a relevant keyword.

Blending In with the Internet

At last count, Google announced that it has indexed approximately one trillion URLs, and more websites are created daily! If you can imagine how much information is out there on a variety of topics, you might wonder how you can stay on top in search results on any keyword. By adjusting your website and overall Internet presence to offer a variety of interactive information, you increase your chances of relevancy in search.

Do you have videos of your products and services? Set up a YouTube account and host them, then embed the videos into your website for further enhancement. Attach a blog and make regular posts about sales, products, and services. Import your blog into various social networks with that capability (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) for increased exposure. As we move forward with Internet technology, and as larger Internet entities like Google absorb smaller ones, as they have done with Blogger, the information on those sites will be blended into search. In order to rank high, your site must blend in as well.

The more you build your site using the tools at your disposal, the better your chances become in search. Socialize, interact, and rise above the trillion and be seen.

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