Does Google Work?

[seoskunk]

I'm in a new project and about to invest a considerable amount to advertising and seo. But I run some tests and results from Google were the most disappointing, I am wondering if Google actually works anymore ? With the web as diverse as it is do people actually take much notice of serp positions and text ads anymore, it seems Google is pretty much a secondary shopping site to Amazon these days. Should I invest in Google or Social Networks instead where I can build a following and community?

[goodroi]

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." -Yogi Berra

[tangor]

It's usually best to have some diversity in advertising campaigns. What that mix will be depends on what's being offered and the target audiences.

While g is the buzzword, don't rule out Bing. Their audience is generally a little older and tends to convert at a higher rate.

[RedBar]

If it is a brand new project under a new domain then expect to wait months before anything happens with organic traffic. Google seems to be very slow to rank sites/pages these days, Bing is slightly faster.

[MrSavage]

Have you honestly taken a look at the Google mobile SERPS? Seriously. Have you? In a lot of current searches, it would require a miracle for a searcher to avoid the stacks of ads and actually click on a true organic website listing. You are also asking this question in a forum where people are earning a living at trying to improve a persons search position. With all due respect when a livelihood is involved, a clear view is impossible. Use Google for a while yourself and you will find your answer as to what is or is not worth it. If you think it's worth investing in something that will at best sit behind a stack of 4, 5 or 6 ads that look exactly like your organic search results? Is it worth investing in something that will require a searcher to get past an answer box, ads, and whatever else that is going to eat your investment? It's about trends. Less not more. Does that seem like a wise investment?

[glitterball]

An interesting question.

Google seems to discount the most important words in any complex technical query that I search for, and we won't even mention the seemingly random language that Google presents to me (if I want to search for something in Spanish, I now have to use a separate browser).
I remember when Google first became successful, that many commentators attributed Google's success to its clean interface and lack of ads (compared to Yahoo or Altavista). How that has gone full circle.

But it doesn't matter if Google works or not, because we no longer have an address bar in our browsers. It is a Google Bar. They own the web.

[jmccormac]

Concentrate on customers. That means prioritising Social Media rather than the rotting corpse of the dead web which Google regurgitates like a zombie with a bad case of food poisoning.

Regards...jmcc