Ask not what your search engine can do…

I’m a fan of the underdog. If I don’t have a vested interest in a football game, I’ll quietly go against the favorite because I like competition better. Ask.com has never been a big player but more of an innovator and have done some interesting things through the years. The concept of a user actually asking a question was a novel one and I think an effective one, the acquisition of Teoma, the creative user interface and the takeover of IAC back in ’05 all seemed to be positive moves. Not all has been effective though (including the retirement of Jeeves, I was actually sad to see him go) and all along, they’ve struggled to really see substantial increases in search market share. Even after the huge injection of funds, the aggressive advertising campaigns we’re now looking towards an 8% staff layoff and a focus on a particular niche…women. Not sure why but this still all sounds like speculation. We haven’t received official word from Ask.com yet.

While we’re not sure of the “new” direction for Ask, whether or not Google has something to do with it (blended results maybe), it’s a shame to hear that the focus is gone from being a part of the big 4 towards a niche that is probably unnecessary. In any event, we will keep you posted on any future updates. The message here continues to be, keep focusing your SEO strategy on Google.

Paul Fleming is co-founder and VP of Interactive Services for Dinkum Interactive. A trained teacher, Paul has worked in a variety of forms of Internet Marketing but with a focus on SEO. Originally from Australia, he now resides in Philadelphia with his wife and 2 ankle-biters.