Browsers and Search Engines

Browsers and Search Engine Spiders are fascinating.  I must admit I almost always know what I’m going to write about in my weekly blog. This week was strange, I had no idea where to start, and that I would end up with Search Engine Spiders and Browsers.  I had recently brought on a new SEO client. Their site was in the Ticket Brokerage business. While doing my initial research, I found the industry both fun and competitive. But I received an enormous surprise when…

Search Engines and Browsers are not what I thought I was going to blog about this week. It all started with a new client. He is a giant in the industry for anything tickets. Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Theater, Musical Concerts of every flavor, including National and International events. He has been in the industry for many years and is well respected and trusted.

The Search Engine and Browser Surprise came while doing my SEO due diligence. I had been working with their Webmaster for several weeks. During our initial conversations I discovered they had not yet deployed Google’s Web Analytics.  I quickly set them up an account and started to monitor traffic patterns and habits.  The surprises happened while looking in the Technology section under Browser OS in Google analytics. Holy Crap (or something like that) I said to myself.  Google’s Chrome Browser generated over 35% of the sites traffic, with Fire Fox second at 24%, and I Explorer a distant third place at 15%. Then distantly followed by Droid, Safari, Opera and so on.

Browsers Diversity

What was going on? This fly’s in the face of all traditional (old) models I had become accustom to seeing.  Historically you will find I Explorer, followed by Fire Fox, then maybe Mozilla and Chrome with everyone else falling way behind that. Why was this clients Technology / Browser OS profile so different?

At first I was convinced that the Search Engines or Browser servers were to blame. They must not be recording the data correctly. Deep down I knew this was just a fantasy, they are never wrong, especially on this scale. So I delved deeper into my client’s business model. As I said he has been selling tickets for year’s maybe decades. His own IT guy and webmaster said “I keep asking the Owner, where he gets his client” The simple answer was the traditional way.  He had spent years, and a lot of time in the bars, or hanging on a street corner in front of the arena and waiting to hook up with a buyer outside of the track or local mall etc.

Search Engines and Browser Technology

Today this very intelligent owner has recognized, or accepted that the internet is the only solid growth model for his business. His web site,while only five years old, is new by most standards. However, this owner has been slowly migrating toward the inventible importance of the internet, especially with his customers incredible growing use of smart phones and there browsers. Search Engines and Browsers are something all business owners and SEO producers must consider.

The Browser light comes on!

Then I got it! Yes smart phones and there browsers were the culprit. It was not that the Search Engines Spider bots or Google’s servers were recording data wrong. This client was now almost 100% dependent on smart phones, and just after Christmas (when we first started tracking his Browser Data) with everyone (well almost everyone) getting a new I pad with a Chrome Browser factory installed this all made sense. The world was in balance again.

In Conclusion

Search Engines and Browsers shape our world. As SEO providers we must keep this in mind. I am rarely blindsided or surprised on this level. However, in this case, for this client it made complete scene.

Think like a Search Engine  and consider Browsers.

We must make certain that this client’s site is optimized for the Search Engine Spiders and all Browsers. In this case, Especially if the Chrome Browser is being used by the bulk of his cliental.  Search Engine Spiders and Browsers are important! Consider them while working in the SEO environment, and don’t disrespect Google’s Chrome Browser.

More about how Search Engine Spiders work later. And always use a reputable SEO company.