Aug 25, 2006
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Do Search Engines Stifle Software Companies?
Search engines may be stifling the success of software companies. How? By assuming all searchers are the same.
In general, a software company writes for a target audience, its intended customer base. That audience may or may not be people who spend a lot of time on the internet or in the blogosphere. (For brevity, let’s call those who do spend a lot of time on the internet and blogosphere netizens.)
However, it seems that search engine rankings are determined, in large part, by the amount of presence a specific url has on the general internet and blogosphere. The more a particular software is talked about by netizens, on net-based outlets like blogs, websites and forums, the higher the likely ranking of that particular software on a search engine.
Due to their popularity, search engines are often the first place people turn-to when looking for new software. This is particularly true of non-netizens who don’t know the specialized websites or back corners of the internet where they can find insider information on software or technology.
So, the non-netizen goes to the search engine and searches for the type of software its looking for. The results come back ranked by the amount of buzz by netizens.
The ranking may be a perfect set of choices for one particular user, say a netizen or those who are looking for the same thing netizens value. But the results might not be a good set of choices for the needs of the non-netizen.
The right software might be buried deep on some double digit page of the results.
The non-netizen may never find the right software. The software company misses out on the customer (and therefore the revenue). Both sides lose.
There is a potential paradox here. That those who most need the help of search engines to find the right product, are least likely to find the right fit in the search results.
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