There is a new king on the horizon

• Sep. 14, 2004

It was almost 4 years ago that we published an article on why content is king on the internet. And content has been king ever since then.
 
 Even after the now famous Florida Update when Google put even more emphasis on site content as opposed to links, a year ago, content is still as important, if not more so.
 
 But there is a threat to the seat which content holds. There is another factor which will probably be the driving force behind search rankings. This may not happen for another year, but it will happen.
 
 What will begin to threaten content in the coming months will be a much more complex idea. Complex in that it will mean a whole new set of ranking algorithms for the search engines. Also more complex in that it will make it more difficult for some search engine marketers to successfully achieve high rankings for their clients.
 
 On the other hand, those that can successfully transition into this new way of search marketing will succeed.
 
 What is this change that will revolutionize the industry?
 
 It's quite simple really, and there is some search related technology already applying these algorithms effectively.
 
 My theory is that context will be king as opposed to content.
 
 In other words, what the page is about will be more important than how the words are put together, or how big the pages are.
 
 How do I know this is already being effectively implemented? Simple - Download the Blinkx desktop search application if you haven't already. I wrote an initial review of it almost 2 months ago and I must say that since then I've become more accustomed to it and find it to be even better at finding what I want.
 
 But wait, there's more. Not only can I launch a search through the Blinkx console and retrieve both local and web results, but the toolbar is probably its most unique feature. It finds results for me even when I'm not looking for them.
 
 As I write this article, the application is analyzing the words on the page for their context and meaning, and applying algorithms to find content matching the context of this document. In other words, it is trying to understand what I am saying, and finding pages which are similar to what is on this document.
 
 This is why I think the future of search is context as opposed to content.
 
 To have an application (and very soon I'm sure a search engine) be able to interpret what the words on a page mean, and then find pages of similar context and/or concept, is a huge step forward in my mind.
 
 What else is great about this little app is that it refines results as I type. As it learns more of what this document is about, it is refining the results it displays in the toolbar. I don't have to ask it to do this, it just does.
 
 In fact, since I have been typing these last few lines, I have seen the web results refine themselves from "tips on searching with Google" to "new search engines on the horizon" to "Blinkx is a threat to traditional search." The application knows what the document is about. More importantly, it is able to understand, and match results.
 
 It is this understanding of the concept of the words - the context - which makes this such a powerful tool. I'm just surprised that the company hasn't been snapped up by Google or Yahoo! because if they don't see the potential here, something is wrong.
 
 But back to my original thought. Knowing that Blinkx has this capability now, and seeing how effective it is at bringing back results, doesn't it make sense that our industry is heading in this direction? No longer do you have to go to the web and try to figure out what word or words best describe what you are looking for. Now you can put your thoughts on paper or in an email and have a piece of software interpret them and match them to available web or local content.
 
 Once search engines realize that many people leave their site frustrated with results because they simply can't boil down what they want into 2 or 3 words, we will begin to see this shift from content to context.
 
 Who knows - Maybe all the search engines will become back ends to more software like Blinkx? No longer will you be able to go to the Google homepage and launch a search. Instead there will be a Google (and Yahoo! and Microsoft) application that runs like Blinkx - on top of all your existing applications monitoring your keystrokes and returning results without you even aware that it's happening.
 
 So what does this mean to our industry? How is a search marketer supposed to optimize pages based on a theory as abstract as context? How do you choose keywords? After all, we live and die by our keywords. The success or failure of an online campaign is dependant on choosing the right phrases. So how do you even begin to search for those gems in the rough that will drive traffic?
 
 Well, for one thing, synonyms will begin to play a much bigger role in the industry. We see it now in engines like Google, where like matches come up quite highly. No longer is an exact match as important (except in very competitive keyword markets of course). And over time I'm sure we'll see the line between "exact match" and "like match" begin to get fuzzier and fuzzier.
 
 My feeling is that this new breed of search marketer will have to be just that - a marketer. Get away from tactics and focus more on the big picture. What is the site about, and does the site portray this message in multiple ways? Does the site have multiple themes? And if so are they clearly defined? And are they complementary?
 
 Remember, that we are now concerned with the overall theme of the site - the context in which the message is portrayed - as opposed to analyzing each page on its own merits.
 
 As you can see, our job does become somewhat more complex, but in some ways easier.
 
 So while content is king now, I think very soon content will be dethroned and context will take over as the new king of the ring.
 
 Rob Sullivan
 Production Manager
 Searchengineposition.com
 Enquiro.com