Technology Start-Ups for Small Businesses

Many companies are realizing the need to do market research before they initiate their product development processes. Although technology startups have the right idea, they must first understand how to measure their success so that they can maximize their potential to expand into new markets. To help technology startups properly strategize, especially in regards to local business ecosystems, here is a case study from one of the world’s largest technology companies: Google.

In terms of search engine optimization (SEO), Google has not been shy about releasing information on its algorithms, and its goals for user experience and design. However, in terms of its impact on local business ecosystems, or local business search rankings, Google has not taken the same approach to rank websites. In fact, the biggest difference between Google’s approach and that of Yahoo! is that while Yahoo! relies on its huge listing and strong branding for local businesses to succeed on the Web, Google’s main focus is on Web search rankings and page visibility.

This is why Google’s recent decision to allow Webmasters to self-nominate local sites for Google Webmaster Central was such a big deal. Back in 2021, Google curbed its controversial PageRank system, which determines a website’s Web traffic. According to Google Senior Staff Engineer, David Bailey, PageRank “was kind of a mistake.” Because of this policy change, Google curbed its ability to manipulate Web traffic by making sure that only trusted sites would appear in the search results. With this new policy, Google has realized that it needs to make Internet users think twice about engaging with a website by relying solely on Web search rankings.

In a recent blog post, David Bailey, Google’s Executive Vice-President of advertising products and programs, stated that “we are seeing more start-ups focusing on brand marketing and more start-ups working on new technologies. And when you’re talking about start-ups that are potentially going to be long-term customers, we are talking about very specific industries, niches, and regions.” It makes sense that start-ups want to tap into new technologies in order to stay ahead of their competitors. Google’s new technologies are also an attempt to keep up with the other major companies in the technology world; Apple, Amazon, eBay, and others all have created their own unique way of presenting search results.

The question remains: Are new technologies good for business? Google’s new technologies provide a unique opportunity to start-ups in two different but complementary fields: eCommerce and SEO. As the Internet continues to expand and become even more pervasive throughout each sector of our society, people need to realize that they have a powerful new tool at their fingertips. Instead of spending money on costly advertising campaigns, as businesses have been doing for years, start-ups can invest a percentage of their budget on research and development. This research and development may yield dividends for the business down the road; Google’s AdSense program is a great example of how such rewards can be gained.

As everyone who owns a website knows, the way people consume information today has changed dramatically. People no longer sit in front of their computers, cluttering their minds with information. Instead, they are now sitting in front of their computers and using their fingers. In order for businesses to be successful, it has become imperative that start-ups utilize this new technology in order to make their business more accessible to customers. By tapping into this unique aspect of our society, start-ups can improve the bottom line, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for future business success.