Jakob Nails It, Search Engines are Leeches

I’ve been pushing the word that Bloggers need to be more, and indeed, can easily be Search engine independant for some time now. Jakob Nielsen nails it when he says Search engines are leeches on the web.

Search engines extract too much of the Web’s value, leaving too little for the websites that actually create the content. Liberation from search dependency is a strategic imperative for both websites and software vendors.

Emphasis mine.

I predict that liberation from search engines will be one of the biggest strategic issues for websites in the coming years.

Now, the blog world is understandably a little behind in some areas. Bloggers are at the forefront of the way the web is changing, but they lack basic webmaster skills as a group, and often do not have the benefit of years of experience on the web — often the idea of publishing on the web is new to them.

This is a GOOD thing. It means that bloggers get to have a go at doing some things that have been done to death before, like building directories for example, all over again. And maybe they’ll do a better job than their unfashionable webmaster forebears.

What many may not realize, is that the search for Search engine independence is 4/5yrs old, perhaps more. It’s a goal many strive for, but few succeed with. Bloggers though, due to the nature of the beast, and the inherent viral, communicative nature of the medium are very well positioned to take a lead on this, and succeed where others have failed.

Im not saying ditch Search. Im saying strive to be Search independent. If the engines dropped you tomorrow, how much traffic would you lose?

If your answer is greater than 20% you need to work harder, because putting your business in the hands of a third party you have no control over is foolish, at best.