How Strong is Your ?Google-Fu??

In today’s online world, it’s hard not to roll one’s eyes at the myriad of silly catchphrases.  Once in a while, you stumble across a good one. “Google-fu” is an amusing term that relates an Internet user’s degree of skill with Google’s powerful search engine.  Considering how difficult it can be for an accounts receivable management professional to find relevant information, you’d need some pretty strong Google-fu to get anywhere with a regular search for ARM terms.

However, short of dedicating yourself to studying the intricacies of Google’s search engine, there is an easier way to find ARM information for the industry professional:  SearchReceivables.com vertical search.

What is Vertical Search?
A “vertical” or industry search engine is a relatively new tier in the Internet search industry.  It only looks through relevant websites to deliver search results, as opposed to Google, which searches every website on the Internet.

Realizing that ARM professionals didn’t have such a tool in their arsenal, we created SearchReceivables.com.  If you’ve used the search tool on insideARM.com recently, you might have noticed that your search results are delivered through SearchReceivables.com.  

Why doesn’t Google work for ARM professionals?
Research shows that on average, professionals may use the internet for industry research for over six hours a week.  Due to a lack of vertical search engines for niche industries (such as ARM), professionals are currently forced to use consumer-focused search engines like Google.
What problems do ARM professionals come across in a consumer search engine?

• Search results that are not directly relevant to your query.
• Too many overall results returned on each search.
• You’re forced to try different engines because of the unfocused nature of consumer engines.
• Studies demonstrate that users only get a relevant result 40% of the time.

Ever try searching for receivables terms on Google?  Take a look at this Google search:

Notice that most of these results are simply not useful for a receivables industry professional.  If you’re looking for sources of industry information, you probably don’t want to comb through hundreds of consumer-focused search results. You also have no way to quickly drill down or filter by common ARM-related terms to find exactly what you need, nor can you quickly access resources like insideARM.com.

Here’s what you get with a SearchReceivables.com query:

Essentially every link on the page is a tool selected specifically for its usefulness to the receivables industry professional. Instead of just giving you a list of results, you’ve now got access to a variety of search tools that can help you quickly get to the content you are looking for – without filtering through pages of consumer-focused items.

If you’re an ARM professional or doing any ARM research, SearchReceivables.com needs to be an everyday part of your workflow. If not, I hope your Google-fu is strong – you’re going to need it.

Naveen is an expert on web development and the Internet. For insideARM.com, he is focused on improving usability, content, and the online community for insideARM.com readers and members.