Search Engines (SE) know everything about what people have been looking for in the past.
One of the reasons why companies like G, Y en M are valued so much is just for this informational value. SE have large databases of search terms that are categorized by date, time, season, etc. And with intelligent (data-mining) techniques the SE masters will know perfectly what has been going on in period that is behind us. And that is only for the demand site, but the same applies for the supply. The crawlers have investigated the world (wide web) outside and can easily sketch the current supply. Although that basic economics tells us that demand and supply never really match. Taking this aside leaves us with the question: what will the past (demands) tell you about the future (needs)? With the growing content on a daily bases, the overload of information is enormous. Consumers, more than business professionals, will shift their searches fast and frequently. This leaves you – as a SEO - basically with two possible strategies. The one that best fits your organizational style is the one you should pursue.
In the field of investment there are a few investment strategies. Two of them are well known to the personal investors. The first is technical analysis (TA) and the other fundamental analysis (FA). Fans of the first believe that past information will help to address future investment decisions. The supporters of the fundamental approach will search for undervalued stock and buy them even if that stock is out of favor. In a sense both strategies differ in the fact that the first investor moves with the flow of the market and the last has its own independent approach.
Now back to the business. If you believe that past search information will reveal something about near future search interest, you should engage an active SEO policy. Move with the market (changes) and optimize frequently for changing favors. In that approach you go with the flow. You follow a certain trend and catch up with what is in favor at a specific moment in time. In the other case you (or your company) will have an own path to track 'irrespectively' the market turbulences.
The impact of either policy is high. The first needs an active approach with an agile response to market influences. You need to actively follow the market and make adjustments or follow a SEO that is in line with the current stream. The second is much more 'relaxed' in the sense that the market interferences are taken for granted. You have your own path to follow and you are not bothered by current hypes and emotions.
A mix of both could be an option as long as you do not treat the middle way. This would be aiming at a moving target and will leave you with neither the benefits of the first nor the ones of the second.
If you recognize the above possibilities, the next thing to know is what style best fits your company. With what approach are you most familiar with? What are your personal management preferences or what favor reflects the preference of the organization. If you are able to dig this up in advance you will save a lot of SEO-effort and will help you business by addressing energy where it agrees with your organizational style. Your client should also notice the effect. Suppliers of SEO can benefit from this by tailoring their offerings according to the needs and the style preferences of the prospect.
© 2005 Hans Bool / Astor White
Hans Bool (The Netherlands) is the founder of Astor White a consulting company dedicated to (the human side of) management consulting and e-advice. He has many years of experience in (project) management, consulting and business architecture. He studied economics and has recently published the book: "How to manage your organizational portfolio – just stick to your rules".
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