Shibles.com is a new blog by a B2B media player, pointed at by B or not 2B Blog. And here’s a post worth noting:
“While vertical search is going to be a means of competing, don’t try to do exactly what Google does but in your industry. Trust me, they’ve got legions of PhD’s thinking about how Einstein’s theory of relativity can be applied to make search more relevant. You’re not going to beat them at their game, Web search.“
Tip 2: “Play to your strengths… your deep, data-rich understanding of your highly qualified readers.”
Tip 3: “Understand that Google IS (I repeat IS) an ally as well as a competitor.” “At the end of the day, our goal isn’t to keep Google out of our markets, it’s to grow and expand ours.”
B2Blog’s take? Tip 2 is the biggie, and often the one that I, as the client of B2B media, don’t see enough follow-through on. Most vertical websites just offer ‘exposure’ and ‘clicks’ without giving any additional value over what Google is already doing. Prescott Shible is right, but execution is not easy.