What is Google?
Is it email? Is it an advertising service? Is a classifieds service? Its a search engine you say? Are you sure?
In Google's most recent offering to be everything, they are now offering Google Websites, amongst a whole smorgasborgh of digital delights.
I predicted long ago that this would happen, and frankly it is another sign that the company is lost. They are/were a great search engine. But there isn't any money in that.
So they copied Overture and made a better pay per click system. And Billionaires they became.
That part is understandable. But webhosting?
You see MSN offered the same thing, and Google struck back with their own freebie.
Here is an idea MSN. In order to destroy Google, just start making ridiculous offerings and Google will make double your ridiculous offering.
The challenge is that media is splintering into more and more sub groups at a record pace. On the web, we tend to start wide with our loyalties, then as we become more savvy we stratify down into communities or sub topical attentions. So some are drawn towards websites while someone else might enjoy blogs. While another may love the podcasting thing.
As the engines try to speak to all these splinter markets, they are not speaking to their main market. Search Engine users. This is very typical of Giant corporations.
While Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are sipping Mai Tais, their company which grew under the mantra of "Don't be Evil", recently agreed to censorship in China. Big Bucks can make any company forget its core values.
Google can afford to drift, you and I cannot.
Focus deep into your market. Go after niches. And be the expert for that niche.
Few companies are willing to to do that. Eventually the warm and cozy affection is replaced by cold corporate guidelines.
You don't have to do that. Be niched and you can be one of the few businesses in your prospects day to day life that actually is personable.
Instead of having a blog that is all about real estate. Why not have a blog that is all about Your Neighborhood Farm real estate? Be the Source. Why not have a website all about a small Retirement Village in your Town? And you have all the HOA minutes and resources that would be useful to this Senior Market?
Then go build another niche that speaks just to them, personally.
