Internet for All

When we talk about the world going digital and every one having internet access, we often either forget or may ignore the fact that still only about 40% of world’s population has access to Internet. It is estimated that as of now about 3 billion people in the world have internet access.

The internet access has been a major concern especially in developing and under developed countries across the globe. While this may sound like a challenge especially for governments of different countries to ensure everyone in their countries have access to the internet, this is also a huge untapped opportunity to grow for all those companies who rely on Internet. All the internet, mobile and digital marketing companies are making efforts in different ways to ensure larger part of world population has internet access. Internet giant Google seems to be one step ahead with their Project Loon.
Project Loon is an internet project from Google that utilizes high-altitude balloons to offer affordable internet access around the globe to around 5 billion people without any access. These balloons have the capability to travel approximately 12 miles above the earth’s surface, in the stratosphere.  Loon uses software algorithms to determine where the balloon needs to go depending on the direction of the wind. It started as a pilot project about two years back when 30 balloons were launched from New Zealand's South Island that beamed internet to a small group of users.
To learn more about Project Loon and how it works, visit the following YouTube Link

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96tYpEk1Ao

 In November 2014, Google announced that it has made tremendous improvements with this project especially with the auto fill equipment that would allow the balloons to last up to 10 times longer in the stratosphere than they did in 2013. The overall capability to launch has also increased up to 20 balloons per day.
According to a recent Times of India report, Google is in talks with the Indian Government to introduce its Project Loon to rural and remote areas of the country. Still more than half of the Indian population lives in rural areas and most of them living in villages do not have access to Internet. India has third largest number of internet users in the world only behind China and the USA. The internet user growth in India has been tremendous in the last year and it is set to surpass the United States before June 2015. Indian government elected in May 2014 has increased the budget for digitization across the country. With the rapid Internet growth in India, this Project Loon seems to be all set to be successful at least in India. According to the VP of business innovation at Google X, the plan is to launch a commercial version by 2016 covering all the parts of the world. Google X is already in touch with the governments and telecom operators of various countries including India.

I am eagerly waiting for the commercial launch of Project Loon sometime next year as it seems to be having a huge potential. It would also get sufficient support from all governments considering it is relatively inexpensive and environment friendly too.

 Sources / References:

http://www.google.com/loon/

http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Google-to-bring-its-internet-energy-projects-to-India/articleshow/46226175.cms
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-talks-launch-project-loon-031603196.html

3 Billion Internet Users and Growing - 2015 SEO Strategy Must

According to Internet Live Stats, an international team of developers, researchers, and analysts making statistics available live, around 40% of the world population has an internet connection today. In 1995, it was less than 1%. The number of internet users has increased tenfold from 1999 to 2013. The first billion was reached in 2005. The second billion in 2010. The third billion in 2014.
The chart and table below show the number of global internet users per year since 1993:

Google predicts that there will be more than 3 billion more internet users by 2020. We are heading from a world of 3 billion connected to the internet in 2014 to at least 6 billion by 2020. Between Facebook's drone technology and Google's stratospheric balloons (called Project Loon), there is to the potential to take that number up to 8 billion by 2020.

This could possibly be one reason why Google Executive Eric Schmidt made a bold and confident announcement that "by the end of the decade, everyone on earth will be connected to the internet." This represents trillions of dollars of economic buying power. This is a HUGE opportunity which is why it is more important than ever to focus and master these five SEO strategies for 2015.

1. Build and optimize for mobile traffic

In 2014, mobile Internet use finally surpassed desktop Internet use. This marked a fundamental change in consumer behavior with major implications on search and search engine optimization. The ability for a brand to deliver speed to market high-quality mobile experiences for consumers will certainly gain a competitive advantage.

2. Increase focus on social media and engagement

Social media is now a marketing channel as well as a customer-service channel. Your social audience expects your brand to engage with them on a more personal level. The two must go hand-in-hand.

3. Inbound links are gold

In the same manner word of mouth, referrals and customer feedback are for real interactions; inbound links are indicators of value, authority, and trust to search engines. Earning a single link on a high-quality relevant website is valuable for multiple reasons including SEO, attracting referral traffic, leads, sales and branding exposure.

4. Expand beyond Google

With the growth of mobile, online service providers and software applications are developing internal search functions to better serve their own audiences which means search is growing beyond engines on Web browsers. In 2015, consider shifting greater focus to optimizing brand presence for search across platforms beyond Google like Amazon, Wikipedia, Yelp, and mobile applications.

5. Patience with long-tail search will reap rewards

Long-tail search, less costly than one or two word key phrases, is more promising but requires patience. Long-tail keyword queries tend to be more relevant and convert at higher rates as a result of greater specificity, and ultimately, purchase intent. Brands that can command the power and influence of long-tail queries will see positive results.

Develop and implement these five SEO strategies for a successful 2015.