Through online marketing strategies in the business world, we have a number of watchdogs who are supposed to look out for our interests. A Rottweiler in the world of watchdogs is the European Commission, a body of honest folk in Brussels who are always on the lookout for anticompetitive trading.
In recent times Google has come under close scrutiny for what is alleged to be an abuse of dominance in the online marketing world. Google has been charged with an abuse of power.
Google’s ever-growing presence
It is alleged that the company is seeking to achieve dominance in the smart phone operating system market by insisting that its products are placed in prominent or even dominant position wherever its “free” Android system is used. It is further suggested that Google is able to gather a tremendous amount of consumer data in this way from a majority of smart phones that are shipped today.
It’s no secret that the very presence of Google and its significant reach have long dominated how we address our online marketing strategies. As mobile use increases and Google’s supposed dominance gets more entrenched then more and more people are going to get used to using their products and search capability, purely because it is always front and center. This could allow Google to gather infinitely more exabytes of data, with the stated aim of trying to provide a better user experience.
The largest search engine in the world
Yet is the search experience provided by Google purely organic, or is it increasingly influenced by their quest to be commercially dominant? Are the results being returned purely innocent and targeted, or are they influenced in some way by commercial affiliations and investments made in the purchase of other companies and products?
Many would say that we would be a lot worse off if Google had not spent its time and resources to try and make the search experience more productive. In the war against spam and junk content they have certainly been contributory. Yet in recent times we have seen a major shakeup in what they consider to be good information and they have initiated some far-reaching algorithmic changes that have been controversial to say the very least.
What are Google’s true motives?
Is Google steering the market effectively? What will they do next? Can we be sure that their motives are always neutral and meant to serve, or are they at risk of becoming self-serving? The case currently before the European Commission may help us to start developing answers here. In the meantime our online marketing strategies continue to evolve, often in response to what Google seems to be telling us.
It does seem clear that we should not formulate a strategy based on this one particular company’s thoughts and positions, even though many organizations do just that. Online marketing is nothing if not volatile and subject to change on a weekly if not daily basis. The last year or so has seen major change; it seems that we can expect more of the same for the foreseeable future.
To know more about the world of Online Marketing and its developments, please contact our team.
