Search over URL

I’ve been a member of Marketing Profs for years now. The amount of professional generosity never ceases to amaze me… nor does the stupidity but that is another post entirely. Len Kendall's post “that people are starting to view the Google search bar as their URL entry box” might be a little late out of the box but it should be enough to have you ignoring the rest of this post and typing your company's name in the search bar.

Glad you made it back. What did you see? Was it enough to make you realize that all your carefully planned branding efforts might very well be sharing space with some very unsavory company… and worse… your competition. What am I talking about? Search again and this time take notice of all of the other information in the search results. That's what consumers do.

Len Kendall references Josh Catone’s post at Read, Write, Web. This insightful post informs us about a possible new trend forming here in the States. Trends show that the way people search and the increased use of the mobile web, among others, should be enough for you to consider changing your web strategy. Kellogg’s went as far as purchasing the top sponsored search result for "Special K" on Yahoo! and Google to support their TV ads. Maybe the future is branded search results as Allen Stern of Center Networks points out.

Search over URL is here to stay. And even if you can't afford a national ad campaign or the purchase of top spots in search results, you do have the resources to provided your customers with a well-thought-out and well-designed web site. Evaluate the keywords and content on your site. Eliminate all the junk you think is necessary and simplify your message.