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How search position moved from controllable to fuzzy

May 13, 2008 | Internet Marketing

Recent changes to Google's paid and organic placement algorithms have turned many search marketers' fundamental attitudes on position upside down. However, these changes really just represent another stage in the evolution of search: position is no longer certain, it's now myth-like.

Top position in the SERPs (search engine results page), either paid or organic, is a means to an end. Through top position, a marketer or advertiser gets both high visibility and the lion’s share of clicks. However, with the changes that are underway at all the engines and that have recently gained particular momentum at Google, all marketers may need to revise how they think about position in a SERP. Even before the latest algorithmic changes, maintaining top position was becoming more of a myth than a reality.

Facing the fact that paid-placement position is a fleeting and perhaps mythical concept is more difficult for old-timers like me and others who managed PPC (define) search before the advent of Google AdWords and even before Yahoo acquired Overture (previously GoTo.com). We were spoiled by the idea of a PPC paid-placement position being an absolute that can be checked and verified through a tool or simply through a search at our desktops.

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