Don’t debate which search engine you like the most, use them all for best results.

When conducting research on appropriate keywords for one of our clients, it occurred to me that as SEO experts, its imperative that we see the project from every angle.  This means looking at the company we are promoting from Google, Bing and Yahoo!’s perspective.  Not just the most popular, Google.  

First and foremost, we have to get out of our own heads and into the minds of the people that we are hoping will find us.  We need to be asking the question, “What would I be looking for if I was trying to find me?” In regular conversation, that would be a nonsensical question. However, the fact is that I already know how to find me. It does not matter what I like, or how I prefer to search! What really matters is what my clients’ potential customers are thinking and how they prefer to search! Getting into discussions about the best keywords can be difficult because everyone has their own opinions!  However the results don’t lie.  That is where we need to be focusing.  And not just on the keywords that I like, but the keywords that get results, on all of the different search engines!

Consider who is using Google, but keep in mind that people do use Bing and Yahoo! too.  If you limit your search to just Google, you may be sending the Search Engine “gods” a message that says you don’t want any customers or clients that use Bing or Yahoo! Now, I know that is a bit silly, but in reality, you relly should be focusing on the entire market. I prefer Google. But that is really not important. Yes, there are a lot of people who agree, as the research shows, but there are still plenty of people using other search engines. The beauty is that everyone is focusing on Google! That means SEO campaigns are spending hours trying to figure out Google’s current algorithm. I won’t stop doing that, but I will start planting my SEO campaign seeds a lot more diligently in the less competitive markets of Yahoo! And Bing.

In SEO: Search Engine Optimization Bible, Jerri Ledford states, “Every now and then you need to step away from the crowd and stop doing what everyone else is doing. In SEO, stepping out is usually rewarded with better traffic results. Everyone is doing the same thing. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. What it means is that you should do the same thing in a different way…”

The bottom line is that in order to be successful in any SEO campaign, the focus needs to be on the people that are searching for you.  Forget your personal preferences and consider the many different ways people might find you… or look at it this way… why aren’t they finding you?  Are you promoting your business everywhere people are looking?  If not, you should be!  

Here’s a great tool to get you started. http://www.bing-vs-google.com It gives you two search engines in one. Now you can see the results Bing is providing, and begin to focus on attracting that market to your website too!