When Darwin proposed the Theory of Evolution, he used it to explain the development of species. The idea of natural selection, that the strong survive and the weak die off, has been integrated into the modern understanding of biology, but the organic world is not the only place where this survival of the fittest takes place. Quite the contrary: natural selection dominates the online business realm as well. However, while circumventing biology can be nearly impossible, utilizing the online marketplace to stay on top does not have to be as difficult.

The understanding of how to survive is the key. While companies around the world launch websites, only a select few make it to the big time. These company websites receive millions of hits and show up front and center on major search engines. In fact, being featured on the front page of a Google search results list is the best way to stay ahead of electronic natural selection. That task, however, is easier said than done.

Online searches traditionally have displayed results through a ranking system. This system worked by examining the content of the page and rating its overall relevance to the search being performed. The search engine would then present the designated sites by their rank. There are certain drawbacks to such a straightforward approach, though, since this type of ranking only utilizes standard websites. In order to create a more comprehensive search experience, Google drastically revamped its searching capabilities in 2007 with the concept of Universal Search.

Read the rest of this entry »