Almost out of nowhere and with no apparent warning, on Wednesday 14th April 2010 Google started showing more detailed information for organic search results in Webmaster Tools.

Search is not just about keeping up with algorithms, it’s about keeping up with customers. The customer is, after all, the most important part of the process. Provide customers with what they want, and serve it to them in a fresh and engaging way, and you gain loyalty, trust and authority.

As the old adage goes, it costs five times more to recruit a new customer than it does to keep an existing one. As a result, now seems like as good a time as any for us all to look inwards at how effectively we manage our existing customer relationships.

The need to do this will vary by sector and business. Supermarkets, Travel Companies, Mobile Networks, Car Dealerships and so on, each have an incentive to maintain a relationship with their clients; by understanding them better, they can drive increased revenues from their lifetime value.

If you believe the hype we’re 24 hours from doomsday, not Tulsa!

Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, AIG Financial, FTSE’s up, FTSE’s down, Lehman Smehman; how’s my website performing?