1: How did you get started in SEO and Search Marketing?
I do not offer SEO services, I do offer full Web development services. If you call me and ask me for SEO prices, I will tell you to call RankSmart.com. We only build out sites from scratch, and only large sites.
2: What is your definition of a Search Engine?
A service that returns documents in ranking order, that collects its data through the use of a spider (robot). A Search Engine is not a human edited Web directory, like the ODP. A search engine can also be a meta search engine, that uses other search engine's index and fine tunes the ranking algorithm.
3: What engine do you feel has the best search relevance and why?
4: Can MSN compete with Google in popularity over time? If not, what
niche do you feel they can fall into? (IE: business search, commerce,
etc)
I feel that they will compete in time with Google. I do not think they will need to fall within a niche. It will take time, but MSN, imo can do it.
5: What do you feel each engine focuses on the most with their search algorithm?
Google: Unique quality content, with quality links.
Yahoo: Unique content with links.
MSN: Content with links.
Ask: Unique content with links within a "community."
6: With all the recent movement with Ask.com, what do you feel they are really working on with their engine? In other words, what are their goals?
That is easy, they want to capture more market share. That is the main goal for 2006, imo. I believe they are going to take a two prong approach. (1) Improve the index and the results. (2) Improve the company's brand.
7: What engine if any do you feel can compete with Google's market share?
I believe that MSN has the best shot at taking away Google's market share.
That AOL deal, if it would have worked out, would have been a major shake up for the industry.
8: What engine has the best PPC program and why?
I can not say, but Google and Yahoo are currently the most popular. Lots of well known PPC folks love the new MSN adCenter, they really really like it.
And I don't hear much about Ask's PPC program.
9: Besides your own site, what are some sites you love visiting? It doesn't have to be SEO related at all.
Barry Schwartz is the President of RustyBrick, Inc., a Web services firm specializing in customized online technology that helps companies decrease costs and increase sales. Barry is the search engine roundtable weblog's site administrator and is responsible for the management of the site on a day to day basis.
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