When you think about the future of search, what do you think of? WebProNews recently had the opportunity to talk with Eli Goodman of comScore about this topic when we visited the company’s New York offices. While some might think of mobile and social media, Goodman thinks about search technology and the searchers themselves. As he explains, technology and the searcher affect one another and will continue to do so moving forward.

When we look at the future of search, we must also look at the history of search. In the early days, the technology did not deliver relevant results for users. But now the technology has caught up. As a result, the user is now doing more specific, longer tail searches and is still getting relevant results.

Moving into the future of search, will the users or technology change? Up to this point, Goodman says that the technology has been changing. In regards to the future, he says, “Technology is going to be driving what are some changes as far as user behavior goes, or where you might go.”

On the searcher side, where users search is another influencing factor in the future of search. Although searches within social media sites are growing, the major search engines are still the biggest drivers of search, since they power most social sites.

So, as search evolves, how will SEO change? Goodman says search engine optimization will always change but will always remain important.

How do you see searchers and technology influencing search in the future and how will SEO evolve?