Google’s first-page syndrome.!
A blog post published by Hubspot in 2011 revealed a
shocking statistic: !
75% of Internet users never scroll past the
first page of search results. !
This blew my mind. The reason why this is so shocking is
because very few people understand what Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) is.!
There is an entire industry dedicated to Search Engine
Optimization. It is dedicated to help businesses rank
higher on Google’s results. Having a great ranking is hard;
it requires a lot of systematic efforts from companies to
produce content, understand Google’s algorithm, and
make their web presence search engine friendly.!
Even though Google is always on a mission to provide us
with relevant results based on our queries, it is also true
that there are a huge amount of people, content,
companies, and information that never get to see the light
of day on Google. !
technology
This is not because they are not any
good, but because they may not
understand SEO.!
If you are looking for information that may make a
difference in your life and you give up on the first page,
assuming there is no such information, whoever dares to
go further will have an advantage over you. I am not
saying you now need to scroll through ten pages of
results; my invitation is for you to understand that you
cannot rely on the machine to dictate how much
knowledge you can acquire. Instead, you need to know
how the machine works so you can use the machine to
get what you want.!
For example, every month, entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley
and other innovation hubs around the world are launching
a large number of exciting tools. These tools will not
necessarily show up on your Google search results
because they haven’t been in the market long enough to
generate better rankings, but that doesn’t mean that
those tools/companies are not great. It may just mean
they are concentrating more on building a fantastic
product and less in SEO.!
On Top is a book about tools, principles,
and ideas that can dramatically
increase the quality of your work,
improve your productivity, and shows
you new possibilities that can only be
accessed through technology.
http://ontopthebook.com
This article is an excerpt from
Sofia Quintero’s book On Top.!
It has been reproduced with her
permission. !
So, how do you find those tools?!
I follow specific tech publishers and listings that allow me
to know who the latest web companies in the market
are. Here are a couple of interesting sources you can
subscribe to:!
AngelList: www.angel.co This is a very comprehensive
list of startups that have raised funding or are in the
process of doing it. Here you will find hot tools and
software straight from the oven.!
CrunchBase: www.crunchbase.co This is a free
database of technology companies, people, and
investors. It is updated regularly, and you can browse by
key words and current companies in the news.!
Mashable: www.mashable.com/tech This is a news
outlet that covers pretty much everything related to
technology. You can search on the tech section and read
about the latest companies in the market.!
There are two benefits of keeping an eye on these
websites:!
1. You can subscribe to these startups when they are in
their Beta phase, which means that you may be able
to use their product for free for a while, but even
more exciting, you may be able to pro- vide
feedback and change the product based on your
needs.!
2. Using these tools earlier will give you an
understanding of where innovation is happening and
the kinds of changes that may take place in the near
future.!
The early adopter attitude.!
In the innovation world, there are only two kinds of
people: the ones who make things happen (the
innovators and early adopters), and the ones who wait,
observe, and wait a little more (the masses). !
Which one are you?!
An early adopter is somebody who gets excited about
new stuff, is passionate about what the future may bring,
and wants to see it with his or her own eyes. Early
adopters help innovators and new technology get to the
masses.!
Early adopters love to:!
Be the first to know. • Be the first to join. • Be the first to learn.
Be the first to create. • Be the first to share.!
Always.!
Digital literacy has now become as important as reading and writing.
18 | Dey Dos Magazine