Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window. – Peter Drucker
Predicting what Google (or anyone else, for that matter) is going to do is pretty much the exercise that Peter Drucker has described. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu made a much earlier observation about people who claim to predict the future:
Those who have knowledge, don’t predict. Those who predict, don’t have knowledge.
What We Know
After opening an article with those two quotes, we’re not about to make predictions. So here are a few things that we know.
What Google Has Not Said: Google has not said that it is getting into the home improvement business.
What Google Has Said: Google has indicated that it may be interested in getting into the home services business. That is a big difference. We’ll explain a little further down the page.
What Google Is Doing: The overarching issue is that Google is doing battle with Amazon “To become the most desirable shopping destination on the internet.”
What Google’s Goal Is: One goal is to become the dominant player in the $225 billion dollar – and growing – ecommerce market. It wants to “transform itself from consumers’ favorite way to browse the web to their favorite place to shop.” To do that it will use its search engine to record and remember individual’s tastes, habits and proclivity.
Google’s Bigger Goal: Google’s original mission statement was, “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” The question would be “Useful for whom?” By his own admission, Google’s CEO agrees that statement is no longer accurate. Now Google wants to take the information it continues to collect to control the world of ecommerce all over the world.
What We Know About Google and Home Services
“Home services” is not the same as home improvement services in Google’s dictionary. While, no doubt, Google’s search engine power will continue to be a necessary consideration in home improvement lead generation, Google will inevitably try to find ways to make that information “useful” by monetizing it for their own benefit.
However, when it comes to home services in the context of what Google is really saying, Google (and Amazon) aim “to build an all-encompassing in-home ‘ambient intelligence’ system.” They want to be able to control everything in our homes using the sales pitch umbrella of “smart homes.” They are talking about our homes becoming a part of the Internet of Things, which they hope to control. They are not talking about getting into home improvement.
What Home Improvement Services Need to Do
- Stay up to speed with Google search algorithms changes.
- Keep using the internet to expose your business and generate leads.
- Get involved in offering smart-home technology and installation. This is where Google is going. Home improvement service companies who offer at least some smart technology will be well positioned when Google makes its big moves.
- Don’t drive down country roads at night with no lights while looking out the back window.
Keyword Connects exists to provide quality lead generation for home improvement services. Because we understand and specialize in home improvement, we are able to apply our lead generation expertise in the most effective way possible for your business. Contact us. We’d like to show you how we can consistently deliver more qualified leads to keep your business growing. While we are at it, we want to keep you better informed about goings on in our industry. We hope this article does exactly that.
