I Don’t Have All the Answers, but Google Does!

As a person who dwells in the ever growing digital realm, I am often asked for help on how to do simple things with computers. 'Paul, how do I...?' 'Paul, can you help me set up my...?' I am thankful that people consider me knowledgeable enough to ask, but my answer is often the same. 'Go to Google, and type in that same question.'

I am not passing the buck. The answers that can be found on Google for just about any task are probably going to be more detailed and comprehensive than the ones I can offer. The answers to many and any of your daily questions, whether it be about computer issues, or something random like 'how to tie a Windsor knot' can be found online because of the way the new digital and non-digital world operates.

Here's how it goes. Google and many other search engines want to serve you well so that you will keep coming back when you have more questions or searches. Every visit you pay

to them increases their presence and power. Since they want you to find what you want, they attempt to identify sources information that offer the highest quality answers to your questions and searches. If the answers to the questions are junk, their ranking will be as well. Sites like ehow.com, ask.com, answers.yahoo.com and others have made a living out of providing quality answers to commonly asked questions, and reaping the ad revenue benefits that eyes on their page brings.

So, these sources of information of all types have realized that the better their answers to your questions, like 'how to make a volcano model', the more traffic they will see on their sites. For many site owners, this converts directly to dollars through ad revenue, potential memberships and other forms of monetization.

I hear some business people complaining about Google's practices, but from a user standpoint, whatever system they are using to identify solid information seems to be working. Working backwards with my mobile and wedding DJ business, I asked myself, "What question can I answer that will get me a good ranking on Google?" Well, the question most brides ask me concerns cost, so I wrote a blog post on the cost of DJ's in Fort Collins. Lo and behold, it boosted my rankings in a HUGE way, for that blog post and my site, and I believe it was because I was relaying true information from an expert perspective.

Being that there is someone who wants your attention, business or involvement in just about every imaginable category, you should be able to find the answer for how to anything and everything in this ever expanding, and ever shrinking world.

Or you can just ask me, and I'll Google it for you.