| The future of organic SEO looks bright despite much | | | | e-commerce and increasing in domain registrations. |
| hullabaloo about the changing behavior of search | | | | According to IAMAI the number of Internet users in |
| engines to go for PPC. By the time they go for full | | | | India reached 38.5 million at the end of 2005 (up 54% in |
| fledge paid inclusion program, they may loose their | | | | the last year) and could reach 100 million by 2007. |
| popularity. You may find verification of this argument in | | | | IAMAI findings show the most popular online activities |
| Overture. There has been a significant shift of | | | | undertaken by Internet users in India in 2005 (as a % |
| searchers from overture to Google, msn, Yahoo, or | | | | of respondents): |
| other search engines. | | | | E-mail and IM: 98% |
| In 2001, the controversy swirls around a | | | | Job search: 51% |
| revenue-producing aspect of search engines. | | | | Banking: 32% |
| Consumer Alert, a consumer watchdog, filed a | | | | Bill payment: 18% |
| complaint with the FTC suggesting search engines | | | | Stock trading: 15%oMatrimonial search: 15% |
| were changing the nature of their results pages. | | | | The Indian Internet population is currently over 25 million |
| According to the complaint, instead of presenting | | | | and is expected to grow to 100 million by 2007, |
| results based solely on objective algorithms, the search | | | | according to the Internet & Online Association of |
| engines were including results found by paid inclusion | | | | India (IOAI). |
| and paid placement. Consumer Alert requested that | | | | The IOAI's figure for Internet users in India falls in the |
| the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigate | | | | middle of other estimates.oeTForecasts (September |
| whether these companies are violating federal | | | | 2004): 37.0 millionoPricewaterhouseCoopers (July |
| prohibitions against deceptive acts or practices by | | | | 2004): 30.0 millionoeMarketer (April 2005): 21.3 |
| inserting advertisements in search engine results | | | | millionoEconomist Intelligence Unit (February 2005): 15.7 |
| without clear and conspicuous disclosure that the ads | | | | million |
| are ads. This concealment may mislead search engine | | | | Over 50% of Web users in Indian metropolitan areas |
| users to believe that search results are based on | | | | are between the ages of 19 and 30, with an additional |
| relevancy alone, not marketing ploys. | | | | 22% between 31 and 40. Users under the age of 18 |
| Despite the explosion of paid placement sales as a | | | | are rare. |
| source of revenue for search engines, users remain | | | | The Internet has been a key driver of the Indian |
| largely unaware of these issues. 62% users are not | | | | economy, helping to make Bangalore a leading |
| able to distinguish paid and unpaid results while 32% | | | | technology center. Outsourcing is bringing billions of |
| Internet surfers do understand them. But soon the | | | | dollars of foreign investment into the country every |
| figure is going to change. Further, if search engines do | | | | year. Now, consumer purchasing online in India is |
| not produce relevant results the users trust, they loose | | | | beginning to pick up as well. |
| their trust and hence their popularity dips down. Or | | | | Annual online consumer purchasing reached |
| who knows other engines may take advantage of | | | | approximately US$130 million in 2004-2005, according |
| their competitor's downfall! | | | | to the Internet & Online Association of India (IOAI). |
| In the earlier Consumer WebWatch findings, if an | | | | The total is expected to grow sharply over the next |
| engine revealed it was taking fees for placement, 56% | | | | two years, reaching US$ 550 million by 2006-2007. |
| said it wouldn't affect their user of the engine, although | | | | Click here to know in detail. |
| almost 1/3 said they would be "less likely to use" such | | | | The most popular purchases online in India are clothes |
| a search engine and this ratio will further increase to a | | | | (46 percent of shoppers), music / CDs (29 percent of |
| great extent if major search engines go for PPC in | | | | shoppers) and books (26 per cent of shoppers). Some |
| toto. | | | | 69 percent of users in India spent up to 500 Rupees |
| Once we are sure that organic SEO is going to stay | | | | online during the previous four weeks. Further, Online |
| for long, how do we then predict the future of SEO in | | | | travel company MakeMyTrip, which had launched its |
| a country like India? | | | | website for the Indian market in September 2005, |
| The future prospect of SEO in India depends on the | | | | expects its Indian revenues to surpass contribution |
| success of e-commerce. So, what does the future | | | | from its US operations by 2007-08. The development |
| hold for e-commerce? According to a report from | | | | comes at a stage when the Internet in India is |
| Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), | | | | increasingly becoming a great resource for travel |
| Internet adoption is growing in India at a record pace | | | | planning. |
| due to falling cost of broadband, a rising demand for | | | | |