Much has been made of the recent “Google killers”, probably driven by the publicity surrounding “Wolfram Alpha“. People make much of the power of search, but shouldn’t we consider how much, and how we are using search these days? I know that personally, I have fundamentally changed the way I search and consume information. I think there are a couple of reasons for this…

The internet has gone mainstream

The “old days” of searching for information on topics such as the Loch Ness monster have given way to looking for old friends on Facebook most of the time. Obviously, the internet is no longer the sole domain of “techies” or even intellectuals. Although people still go on the web to research products, concepts, and ideas; more and more they are going on to check on what their friends are up to. This is all because, humans are ultimately, social creatures. Although there are obviously exceptions, if most had their choice, they would be finding out how they could relate and communicate with their friends better, rather than researching old episodes of Star Trek.

People are filtering before they reach the search engine

People are using more specialized search engines to find what they want. The major search engines can still be “gamed”, but internet users are getting smarter at taking note of what site they are visiting before they click the link. I know for specialized searches, I’m more likely to use specialized “search engines” like Gamespot if I am looking for video game information, Metacritic if I am looking for reviews, Amazon if I am researching music, or Wikipedia if I need a top-level overview of a topic. For these specific searches, why would I go to a general search engine? I’m used to the interface and results I’ll receive from these search engines, and I’m assuming that many others are doing the same.

There are other ways to find new information

Content discovery and information seeking used to be the sole domain of the search engine. You have a crazy idea or want to find out more about something, you would go to a search engine, type in a search term and click “Go” to find out more about the subject you want to know about. Now that mainstream media sites have committed fully to the internet as a viable media outlet, and other technologies like Twitter and RSS exist, there are many other ways to collect yourself with users, and leverage other ways to discover content that is geared towards your interests.

Is Search Not Relevant Anymore?

Not necessarily, but in my opinion, its not as relevant as it used to be. We need to figure out unique ways for our users to get and stay engaged, and stick around, and pass the word on. SEM and SEO will still be valuable, but as consumers get more internet-saavy, they will probably be more hesitant to visit sites they aren’t familiar with unless they are looking for something extremely specific.

All this comes around to the same basic principle, that interactive marketers need to focus on their users. Think about what your target market needs, and how you can deliver it. The more highly-educated and internet-knowledgeable your audience is, the more you need to focus on them instead of black- (or white-) hat SEO techniques to drive traffic.