If you’re in the online marketing industry, be prepared for some big changes. Google recently announced their latest project – Google Caffeine, which is set to change the search world. In essence, Google is rewriting the way they index sites and for the first time, we have a sneak preview of how this will affect our rankings.

For those that think this wont be a big change, think again. Matt Cutts has mentioned that this could compare to the Big Daddy update in late 2005. If you’re wondering how this is going to affect you, take a look at this comparative tool from Sembience which checks your current ranking of a keyword vs the Google Caffeine rank.

Here is a simple example of how rankings are already changing:

Google vs Google Caffeine

One of the most talked about changes with Google Caffeine is the way that Google gives preference to real time events and news and a lot of people are wondering if this is going to sacrifice the relevancy of the results. I’m not convinced about this. I believe that these change are needed to filter out all the irrelevant information that has built up along the years within the Google index. From now on, a lot more work will be needed to maintain your current rankings, meaning that all those untouched, forgotten websites with useless information will be thrown to the bottom of the ranks if it hasn’t been done so already.

In order to maintain a good ranking and keep your business alive you will now have to put as much time into your business online as you are offline.

Visit the Google Caffeine site and start getting prepared for what’s going to be a big change in the online marketing world.

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With the 2010 spectacular around the corner, marketing your small business online is definitely worth the effort. For those of you that don’t know where to start, I’ll outline some basic steps that will ensure you get the best out of this amazing opportunity.

Build a website
Find a good web development company to ensure that your business gets noticed online. I’d suggest choosing a well established company, one that includes Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) implementation.

Directory Listings
Getting your business noticeable is key. Add your business to as many online directories as you can find. Remember to keep it relevant to your site! For example, don’t add your business to an online farming directory if you’re selling accommodation. Ananzi and Aardvark are a good start, amongst many others.

Social Media
Twitter, facebook, etc. etc. are all really good ways of marketing online. This is ultimately the most popular method of online marketing. Get familiar with these online social communities and how they work, to effectively market yourself. Twitter reached 44.5million unique visitors for the month of June whilst facebook receives around 340million unique visitors each month. This is definitely worth your time.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
If you don’t have the time, or the ability to follow these steps, hire yourself a well known SEO company. They do this every day amongst hundeds of other tactics that will ensure your business succeeds.

Get started as soon as possible, as the longer you wait, the bigger head start your competitors are getting on you!

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There is a lot of speculation going around at the moment about whether or not SEO will still be around in the next 5 years. With books such as “SEO is Dead” and the recent remarks from Matt Cutts, a lot of people will surely believe this idea. Despite Matt Cutts recent remarks, he has mentioned before that he believes SEO will still exist in 5 years. He goes on to mention that by using SEO, you are trying to put your websites best foot forward and that not all SEO companies use blackhat or illegal methods to achieve this. Make sure you do your research beforehand when choosing which company you would like to market your website.

With regards to the book titled “SEO is Dead“, which I believe to be a pretty good marketing campaign and has caused plenty of controversy, this book essentially highlights the fact (amongst others) that social media has become one of the most important methods of advertising online.

But I wouldn’t worry too much about SEO being extinct in 5 years. As long as there are search engines, and people who dont have a clue about how to market their business online, there will always be room for SEO’s and SEO marketing.

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