Google is everywhere and it was once the champion of the small business,  now they are starting to suffer as the big G tightens its grip on everything online. There is no more free google.

I am a big fan of the tools and products that make my life in marketing easier both on and off line. But recently I have begun to wonder just how powerful is google going to be.

The truth is they detect your every mouse click. If you do anything on line the google gods will know. Either through the use of the chrome browser, the search engine or the analytics widget buried on most web sites. Then of course there are the Google cookies that get picked up on your machine as you surf the web. Internet privacy is a big hot  topic and I am not looking to join that debate. I am looking at how difficult it is becoming, to stay on the right side of the big G.

The point is to stay on top in organic search results it is about so much more that just having a great web site. You have to build a destination on the web and more important other people, your visitors have got to agree. By staying on you pages and sharing the content.

Google has very clear objectives and that is to create the perfect search engine, one where the visitor finds the result they want with the minimum of distraction or false searches. Once this goal was about organic search ( the left of the screen ) and on the whole this is still this is still true. Particularly in non commercial markets.

As people became better at meeting the criteria for a top slots many found ways to legally game the system and Google had to respond. They have in recent years applied numerous updates to filter the organic search this removed the cheats, at the same time it took many a legitimate company out of the listing for unknown transgression of the new rules.

Another growing factor is the dominance of the sponsored link, it is starting to challenge the once sacred organic space, is this the google search for greater profits.

This is a very competitive market for Credit Cards but look everything above the fold is a sponsored link. If you are in a competitive market this could be the face of things to come leaving you with no option but pay up and join the herd.

Google is still saying user results are important and they implore us to build better web sites with fresh new content that inspires our visitors. You can do all of this and still get no visitors. The truth in 2013 is that to get anywhere in online search you have to do so much more than just have good web site. The bottom line is you will have to build reputation and prove you are worthy of your slot or pay in money and time to make it happen.

If you are just coming into the online world it is a mountain to climb and hopefully you know what you are getting into. My heart goes out to those well established businesses with good web sites that once had a top slot. Falling foul of the new updates, they now face a slow climb back to top using a multiple of channels to prove their worth or they join the herd of sponsored links and buy the relevance they once got for free.