Staff Reporters
Apr 16, 2010

VIDEO: Yahoo's Kaushal Kurapati talks search engine optimisation

SINGAPORE - Kaushal Kurapati (pictured), senior director of product management at Yahoo Search, said that brands should play up the differentiating factors of their websites in order to increase hits to their sites, and avoid manipulation as it will overall work against their cause.

VIDEO: Yahoo's Kaushal Kurapati talks search engine optimisation
Kurapati, speaking about trends in search across Asia, said that search engine optimisation has become a staple in digital marketing strategies but there are still ways to get it wrong.

“The way to look at it, I think, is for the sites to focus on their users and their business models first. What they need to do is understand who their user base is – how can they make their site more accessible and navigatable for their users? And then search automatically, to some extent, takes care of itself,” he said.

Kurapati adds that some brands use spamming and other forms of maniupulation to attract traffic to their sites, which, once it’s uncovered by users, is detrimental to sites’ long-term success.

“There are aggressive tactics that sites tend to use sometimes, unfortunately,” he said. “When you see that kind of cloaking behaviour … it’s not something that will be beneficial to the site in the long run. Fundamentally they need to focus on what demographic they’re serving and what content they are trying to bring to the user and make it as simple as possible, very presentable and as easy to consume as possible, and the rest will take care of itself in terms of search rankings.”

Off camera, Kurapati added that real-time search that links engines to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter is a key trend, as well as rich-media search experiences.



Related Articles

Just Published

19 hours ago

Creative Minds: FCB's Claire Herselman transforms ...

Get to know the senior copywriter who moved to London at 18 and worked as a barista.

20 hours ago

WPP boss Mark Read hits back at employee vitriol ...

CEO told Campaign's sister title, PRWeek, that some of the comments being made about his decision to require all employees to work in the office at least four days a week do not reflect the views of many staff.

22 hours ago

How young Malay-Muslim women are spending and consuming

Malay-Muslim women are leading a consumer revolution, with 93% preferring local groceries and 89% choosing homegrown F&B, according to a new analysis. Brand boycotts are reshaping loyalty, while halal certification, affordability, and shared cultural identity are the decisive factors in their purchasing power.

22 hours ago

Singtel's attempt to reimagine LNY traditions ...

The telco's annual festive film blends humour and lightheartedness, but its reliance on traditional gender roles dampens an otherwise innovative take on festive preparations.