After Inktomi and Looksmart

[littleman]

Some are saying the writing is on the wall. I think we as SEOs have to prepare for the possability of these once prominent companies bankrupting in the next six months. So, what should we be doing as site promoters to prepare for this?

[IanTurner]

And Fast seems to be on the way to PFI only if you want more than 1 page in.

I think its more an online ad management function that we perform rather than the pure SEO.

Effectively Google is the only pure SEO job of any of the majors now.

[agerhart]

In my opinion, start clapping your hands. What is to lose from L$ going out of business? I will be glad to see them gone.

As for INK, I would like to see them stick around, but I would like even more to see a search engine like Fast/AllTheWeb, Wisenut, or Teoma take their place.

[angiolo]

> possibility of these once prominent companies bankrupting in the next six months

I hope not.
I don't think so; maybe they will end as go.com (infoseek.com), excite.com etc.

I am worried about the possibility that one search engine (no matter who) will monopolize most of searches.
In that case it could be too much attractive to abandon the free submission.
When you are the monopolist it's too easy to ask for PPI AND PPC.

[tigger]

>ad management function

Yep, lets face it pure SEO has now died, also it's a lot harder to get the concept of search engine management over to clients and meetings in the past that just lasted an hour or two now take most of the morning.

So is this the birth of SEM, should we now be collectively called Search Management Engines Group? (SMEG for short) :)

Should moderators be called Smeg heads :)

[Liane]

>should we now be collectively called Search Management Engines Group? (SMEG for short)<

Nah ... I think you should call yourselves Search Management Artisits (SMART) ;)

[skibum]

I don't think anyone will be hurting if LookSmart goes out of business, MSN will come up with somethign to replace them or just buy it for some pocket change.

After the split with YAHOO!, we've never paid that much attention to Ink.

Any site that focused on SEO friendly design and content within the actual site over the last 5 years or so it probably sitting on a goldmine (or at least a lot of traffic).

The optimization process (not so) simply needs to be an integral part of the business planning, IA, marketing, and design process.

A nich site can still go out and kick a$$.

ODP/YAHOO! listings can still put a site on the map in Google.

Now that getting top ranks is a function of the actual site unless rather extreme spam tactics are used, the sales process and getting potential clients to understand how it all works is much more challenging as is execution. They want to hear something (we'll get you quick results) that is very difficult with anything less than complete cooperation from the client. Even with it, it is challenging.