Loading ...Over the last year, the search industry has seen a large rise in horizontal content sites. According to Lawrence Coburn, the President of RateItAll, Inc., these horizontal sites are trying to dominate the tail of search. At PubCon Las Vegas, Coburn spoke to WebProNews about the implications of these sites on independent webmasters.
According to Coburn, multiple businesses in the search space have struggled to find particular niches to make money, but now large businesses are coming in and trying to do everything.
To back up just a little bit, a horizontal content site is a site that is broad with no specific target market. One specific example of this type of site is Wikipedia. Instead of being a site that contains encyclopedia information about history, it is a site with past, present, and future information about everything.
Demand Media, a strong advocate of these sites, created an algorithm that reveals various long tail keywords. They take publicly available data and add in their own algorithm and keyword values, which allows them to construct priority lists for content they need to produce.
The rise of these horizontal content sites is scary for webmasters in the SEO community. In speaking of the implications on the search industry itself, Coburn said:
“I think the implications of this is that the tail of search is going to become more competitive as more of these big companies come in and that webmasters like us are going to have to find different sources of traffic where it starts to bring in things like social…”
What potential implications do you think these sites might bring for the industry?
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This will be the worst thing for the freedom and exchange of information on the internet. It will likely also put the small independent internet marketer out of business. Just more of a sign of the times.
We live in and exist on a steady supply of bullshit, but as long as the media, corporations and government keep telling us it’s a bed of roses, we only smell flowers!
The public masses are kept as slaves and rampant consumers. Unable to provide anything they need for themselves. Organics drones to the machines! Anyone here see the matrix trilogy? Are we thinking yet? Are we just meat on 2 legs? Why don’t we just sign away our lives formally and get is over with?!
Utterly brilliant by anyone’s standards, what is better for the powers that be?
Slavery; where the slaves have to be medically cared for, fed, clothed and housed? OR false freedom where the slaves have to care for, feed, clothe and house themselves, and give back most of what they make to the establishment?
Black people don’t write flames to this, if you don’t know what I mean by this, then suffice to say it’s not ablut you!
f**k it!!!
Dave, your commentary was satirically well worded, entertaining and correct – but you complicated the whole thing by the last two words, many people find such usage to be lower English, which diminishes what could have been an otherwise excellent statement – removing them would be useful.
Actually, I run one of these type sites. My articles are found through long tail keywords. It’s not anything new – it’s just that everyone has been hammered to stick within a tight niche. Now I guess the next wave of guru products will be horizontal content, now that it has a cool new name.
Carole, you are right on track as far as I’m concerned. Especially the part about the great opportunity for marketers to “sell” yet another incredible “money making business” …
Horizontal, vertical, deep, narrow, wide …all terms describing the many configurations of successful websites around (and unsuccessful ones as well). It all goes back to, “What is the searcher looking for?” Information? A specific product to purchase? Every configuration has it’s place, period.
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Since there are more information on horizontal content sites, it can drive more traffic, more visitors(possible clients) and more profit. Businesses that will go for horizontal content sites must hire a team of expert SEO to be competitive on this.
I thought Yahoo Answers was pain when they first emerged on the scene because they were always at the top of the searches.
Then right after they began to slip backward, Youtube started dominating the top positions. In recent months it seems like eHow has started to take the lead.
If you ask me, it’s very much like a good horse race.
Googles the smartest horse on the track though. Nobody dominates for long term race.
If you carve a niche out,become an expert and build relationships with people… you will withstand all of the changes.
The Internet is much like real life business, people like to work with who they know can be trusted.
I’m not scared!
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This is great interview with Lawrence!
I’ve been wondering over the past few weeks how this real time search and all these big web sites(horizontal) will value with the long tail of keywords.
Lawrence answered my question perfectly.. I now know I need to get on this a lot faster and put my effort into capture these long tail keywords which seemed a lot easier to do a year ago.
Great content here Mike! Keep bringing the awesome value with these interviews!
Jason Braud
Good for wikipages.
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Dave, your commentary was satirically well worded, entertaining and correct – but you complicated the whole thing by the last two words, many people find such usage to be lower English, which diminishes what could have been an otherwise excellent statement – removing them would be useful.
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