Search Engine Year in Review - 2003

September 3, 2003 FindWhat.com announces its acquisition of Miva Corporation.

FindWhat acquires Miva Corporation, a supplier of ecommerce shopping software and services to small and medium-sized businesses. Pay-for-performance search meets a leading ecommerce shopping engine – we’re still trying to figure out what this is all about.

September 7, 2003 Google celebrates its 5 year anniversary.

Gee, it took Google a whole 5 years to crush every other search engine out there? Time flies.

September 15, 2003 Rumours of MSN's plans abound.

There are rumors of MSN developing a new search engine. MSNBot has been spidering Websites.

September 15, 2003 A proposed settlement to the LookSmart Class Action Lawsuit was accepted.

September 15, 2003 Verisign begins re-directing domains as part of 'Site Finder'.

Verisign begins to re-direct non-existent .com and .net domains to a sub-domain of its own Website in an ill-conceived and poorly received program entitled ‘Site Finder’. Every other Web property shuddered when Verisign took control of the entire Internet for a few days. ICANN threatened them and restored order.

October 2, 2003 LookSmart relaunches its paid listings program.

LookSmart's paid listings program is relaunched in a failed attempt to counter the growing popularity of Google and Overture contextual advertising programs. An also-ran who came late to the paid placement party makes a last ditch attempt.

October 7, 2003 Microsoft announces that LookSmart listings will be dropped from the MSN search engine results in January 2004.

Ouch! LookSmart gets kicked while they’re down. This could be the date when the new MSN Search will be launched.

October 24, 2003 Google announces its acquisition of Sprinks.

At the same time, Google announces its intention to go public sometime in 2004. Financial analysts begin valuing the IPO at $15-$20 billion. The big get bigger and the rich get richer.

November 6, 2003 Google introduces the Google Toolbar.

Maybe it’s a shot at Internet Explorer...? Somehow this thing is supposed to bypass a Web browser to give you search results. But then, don’t you need a browser to go view the results? Maybe we just don’t understand this one.

November 17, 2003 Google shifts its algorithm.

This fairly common occurrence is referred to in slang terms as a “Google Dance”. But the “Florida Update”, as the update becomes known, creates a vastly different set of search engine results at Google for certain keywords. This update affected many highly placed commercial Website results – and is still being felt.

November 19, 2003 AOL acquires audio and video search engine Singingfish.

AOL apparently wants to be able to sort out rich media content and deliver it -– a position that’s consistent with their move into broadband delivery.

December 17, 2003 Google introduces book searches.

Watch out, Amazon.com!

What it all Means

What we saw in the year that just passed was the big get bigger (Yahoo! and Google) and squeeze out the smaller players (LookSmart). We’ve also seen a coming-of-age for keyword based pay-for-performance advertising, and a changing of the guard from market leader Overture, to a new entrant that has exploded on the scene: Google Adwords and AdSense.

What does all this mean for site owners and Webmasters as we move into 2004? How can we position ourselves to benefit from the changes that are continuing to shape the search engine landscape?

• Savvy site owners wishing to attract qualified site traffic must master both traditional search engine optimization and pay-for-performance keyword driven advertising. The profits generated by search based advertising are here to stay – these programs will continue to evolve and grow.
• Keep one eye on Google at all times – especially pre and post-IPO. If and when Google does go public, it may mean significant changes for the search engine. By all accounts Google is the single most important search engine in operation, generating over 250 million searches per day. The free-wheeling, do-as-you-please days at Google will come to a quick end once they have to perform, quarter after quarter, for Wall Street. Keep informed, know what’s coming, and get your site ready for it.
• If you sell a tangible product, get listed with and test Froogle now. Don’t wait for next year’s holiday rush to discover that your listings are not correct or easily found. When Google gets behind something like this, it’s sure to dominate product search in the near future. Don’t be left behind!
• Watch Microsoft carefully. If a new Microsoft-based search initiative gets off the ground this year, you can bet it will be well funded and well promoted. Site owners can benefit from first-mover advantages in getting listed. If you can become an early expert in the new search technology, your site and traffic could soar.

Good luck with all your Internet ventures in 2004!