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Predicting future trends for web search

As the web continues to grow at a tremendous rate, the question is, can the current search engines continue to cope with the size of the web, and if not, what are the alternatives?

Looking back at the huge developments in the past 10 years, it's hard to see where the web will be in the next 10, not to mention the next 5! The rapid growth in new websites, with thousands of new sites appearing every week, is putting a strain on the search engines as their technology tries to keep up with the growth. Estimates place the coverage of the web by search engines to be no more than 40-50% of total web pages.

Even more concerning is the way that the human-edited directories are falling behind their listing of new sites or updating dead links, whilst the economic justifications of employing more people to cope with the demand seem unfeasible. As a result, many directories are now falling behind the growth of the web and, unless they focus on niche areas, are unlikely to continue successfully in the long term. In addition, many of the major search engines are facing financial challenges in maintaining a viable service for web users and as the market becomes dominated by a few search properties, the revenue from pay-per-click advertising or from developing other services will be the key to financial stability and growth.

So what might the future hold? Here are some thoughts...

Whatever solution becomes the next mainstream search tool for the web, it is without doubt that the current search tools will have to change to remain effective. It is also clear that search engine marketing will remain an essential skill, adapting websites so that they will continue to be found by whatever method the search tools of the future will operate.

At the web search workshop we keep track of search engine developments to help business websites achieve the most effective exposure that is possible, both today and tomorrow. To find out how your website can achieve a top ranking on the search engines today, please contact us for more information or to request a FREE website assessment.