The sky isn’t falling chicken little, but your traffic may be in the near future.

There is no question that Google has been a dominating force. There is also no question that Microsoft has both the financial and the manpower resources to give them some serious competition and probably eventually get the upper hand again. As Google has grown to a size comparable to that of Microsoft, it has lost much of the “little guy trying harder” appeal that once helped to create a great deal of it’s public support.

Many users don’t really care which search engine they use as long as they are getting the results that they’re looking for. In this area, Google is falling seriously behind. In an attempt to filter out more of the web sites using artificial means to improve their ranking, they have knocked a large number of legitimate web sites out of the SERPs and often prevented newer web sites from appearing to begin with. While I applaud their effort to combat the web sites using spam techniques to climb above legitimate web sites, I can say with out a doubt that unless they find a better way to do this they will begin loosing market share in a big way. There are several reasons, some of which are not so obvious:

• People want relevant and timely results. If Google continues to delay newer web sites and web pages from ranking for applicable terms, users will go elsewhere to find more up to date results.
• Many web site owners using Google AdSense will begin switching over to competing services from Yahoo and MSN ? which they are likely getting traffic from. Since the ads are a source of revenue for these web site owners, they are going to deal with the search engines that are helping them make more money.
• Many web site owners will remove the Google site-search from their web sites since they aren’t getting traffic from Google.
• Web savvy people are often asked for advice from those who are not as proficient with computers. It won’t take too many bitter web site owners telling these people to use a competing search engine before Google starts to see the effects in their bottom line.
• Microsoft has been developing Windows Vista, in fact, the beta version has already been released. Microsoft will put a serious dent in Google’s business with this because they have built a handy little search box right into the operating system.

For those of us that are forward thinking enough to prepare for this shift, the next six to eighteen months should be very rewarding. For everyone else (especially those relying entirely on traffic from Google) it will be somewhat like riding off the edge of a cliff in a Mini Cooper. So, what can be done to prepare?

• Diversify your internet marketing strategy. Search engine optimization should only be a fragment of your internet marketing. For starters, you could consider advertising on other relevant web sites, utilizing a pay-per-click campaign and publishing articles on other web sites.
• Plan for the adoption of new technology. Blogs are here to stay and RSS is taking hold. Stay on top of new and innovative ways to use technology to multiply the effectiveness of your search engine optimization campaign. You can get a general idea of what technologies to look at by staying up to date with the advances in operating systems, browsers and related software and hardware.
• Avoid using spam techniques to improve your ranking, such as hidden text, keyword stuffing, or link spamming. Most of these questionable techniques don’t work and those that do don’t work well ? and you risk having your web site banned.
• Update your web site on a regular basis. A web site that is constantly growing is viewed by the search engines as more important, a side benefit is that by generating useful content other web site owners will have a reason to link to your web site.

Because of the ever increasing number of marketing messages that today’s consumers are bombarded with on a daily basis it’s become more important than ever to reach them in the most effective way. Many of the marketing concepts that have worked in the past have been steadily loosing effectiveness over the years and this will continue at an exponential rate. To stay ahead of your competitors, you’ll have to stay ahead of the marketing power curve. Are you ready for some marketing tips to start 2006 with a bang?

• Build and utilize a data base to assist in staying in contact with clients and prospects as well as more effectively measuring the ROI of your marketing efforts.
• Focus your direct mail on a smaller list of highly targeted prospects rather than a giant list of people who may or may not have a genuine need for your offering. This may generate fewer leads than the larger list, but your ROI will be higher with less effort.
• Become a valuable resource by blogging, public speaking or distributing your own newsletter. When you are considered the expert in your field people will be more open to doing business with you.
• Put in some face time and network like a pro. People are more likely to do business with someone they know than a stranger.
• Utilize internet advertising on relevant web sites to reach consumers when they are thinking about your industry. A simple way to find appropriate web sites to advertise on is to run a search for key words associated with your industry.
• Ensure that your web site is professional, easy to navigate and up to date. This can make a significant impact on the leads that it generates.
• Be innovative. Guerilla marketing is more than just a cute buzz word. It’s a way to get maximum exposure with a smaller budget and it’s critical in today’s market place.
• Give your consumer a way to interact with your business as well as other consumers. This can be scary and will require a good amount of work, but it’s well worth it.

Adults 55 years and older, the largest users of offline media, say the ability to access online content any time of the day and the greater accuracy of online information are the primary advantages of the internet compared to TV, radio, magazines or newspapers, according to a Burst Media survey.

As seniors become more comfortable and more proficient with technology, you can expect to see a significant change in the way we reach them. For companies that cater specifically to the senior segment of the market, this can be a critical power shift. Companies that embrace these changes will have the opportunity to acquire new business and those that do not will likely loose a portion of their existing business.

There’s no doubt that it can be difficult to find a simple and effective domain name for your business.

The days of being able to register business.com, pets.com or anything even resembling that level of simplicity are long behind us. Never the less, it’s still just as important now, if not more important to choose an effective domain name. With most serious businesses marketing their own web site, your domain name is going to have to be fairly catchy and easy to remember.

Take some time to think about a domain name that accurately describes your business, is simple, concise and easy to remember, and stands out. Then sit down with friends, family, business associates, employees or anyone else that can provide a valuable opinion and ask them what they think of it ? sort of an informal focus group. This will help you avoid having thousands of dollars of marketing materials, advertising and stationary developed only to realize that you have an ineffective domain name.

By the way ? avoid spammy, keyword stuffed domain names like:

www.camping-equipment-supplier-for-campers-who-camp.com

It’s not effective from a marketing perspective and despite the myths that many people still seem to believe, it provides no SEO benefit. Besides, it just looks stupid.