Ten years to fix the internal strength of the low shallow three on Sohu

The intermediary transaction SEO diagnoses Taobao guest stationmaster buys the Cloud host technology Hall

From the internet era of telephone lines began to blend with the Chinese Internet Sohu has been more than 10 years now, from its development trajectory to see Sohu basically go a backward development path. The internal rationale: Sohu's internal strength to fix too bad, what is the former drama brilliant stamina insufficient.

The boss who was ousted

About Sohu, a very interesting phenomenon is that it is in many aspects of the front, but wait until it wants to play the role of the boss is a person, born and dragged down. For example:

98 Sohu in the classification search based on the launch of Sohu, Baidu still do not know where, the results of China's search for the great cause is Robin Li.

01 Sohu pioneered the introduction of wireless value-added services, in the case of the opportunity to take advantage of Tencent hit the map! This fertile soil has now become Sohu's trailer industry.

03 launched the online game "Knight Online" to move back to be NetEase swept away the lost ground, "knight" the tepid let Sohu completely frustrated.

Although in the wireless business, search, online games and so on frequently attack, but in the end are not satisfactory. In countless IM, online games, search companies constantly raised the Chinese Internet, Sohu's brand advantage in one step of the loss. Do not be the boss Sohu also began its backward type of progress.

As technology flows, business is a mishap

"Sohu is a technology-oriented company" This is Zhang's early years of Sohu's positioning, like a circle after the need to cultivate their own crops will have the same, Sohu has its own advanced technology. From once let Charles Zhang most proud of the three business to now the original online "Tianlong Eight", the self-proclaimed technology high content has always been his boast of the capital, unfortunately, not profitable technology even if converted into capital is rubbish.

Sohu Mail: Through the keyword index to spam can only be judged by other mailboxes do not have.

But in front of the fact is NetEase mailbox become the largest number of users of the free mail service provider, user viscosity to help NetEase expand the Enterprise user base, mail business profit is climbing.

Sogou Engine: In 06, Charles Zhang again announced that "Sogou traffic to be in 1.5 after Baidu, but this depends on technology, not advertising"

The results are now 3.0, but the latest release of Sohu's 2007 second-quarter earnings shows that paid search revenue of 1.8 million dollars, down 50% from the same period last year, down 16% from the previous quarter. This means that once as Sohu's number one key business Sogou development into a dilemma, let alone what more than Baidu.

Search Q: The original Charles Zhang said to the industry: "Sohu im (instant messaging) software-search Q, but also fully self-developed and foreign IM business cooperation is not necessary." They are looking at Sohu customer base, and their cooperation benefits outweigh the disadvantages. And their products, technology, there must be a place that is not in China's national conditions, otherwise there will be no QQ today "

Now the search Q struggled in the IM market gap in the residual live, the basic fade out of the market.

Online Games: From the beginning of the "Knight Online" began to "sword online", Sohu is in the position of agent. Completely a kind of street soliciting in the way of operating a game, a long time each big website is full of Sohu online ads, although "sword online" is still alive

But to borrow someone else's donkey to pull their own grinding this kind of thing, Charles Zhang felt still ashamed. Under the banner of a strong self creation, Sohu first independent original domestic theme online games "Tianlong eight online" was born. From the game itself to look at the elements is absolutely good theme, the audience degree is not low. But the game is a failure repeatedly, account management is also criticized by the players, the biggest problem is that the game is suspected of illegal profiteering operations, serious violations of the game industry the healthy development of the big environment.

Blog: In the increasingly fierce competition in the blog, Sohu has played the technology trump card launched Sohu blog 2007 "Sound, Color" version, in order to expect a victory in this race. Because the blog is one of the best portal force direction, if you can do this service, personalized services, tagged reading may become possible, lost IM market may also have a day to recapture, through the email failed to realize the dream, perhaps through the blog service can be achieved. When the portal lost the IM market, the achievements of QQ, online games market, the achievements of the grand, search market, achievements Baidu, the blog market Sohu must own achievements.

Sohu 3.0 Products in the official online, the new Sohu blog, although the foreign claims registered users high-speed climb, but compared with Sina blog two quarter of 1 million U.S. dollars profit, Sohu in the Q2 earnings but never mention the blog profit information, this is in disguise or there is no profit?

What is the advantage of Sohu technology? Is it offset by other factors or does this advantage not exist?

No management, no direction.

Mismanagement is a big taboo in business management. Sohu in the management and business strategy has a lot of unsatisfactory places, especially in strategic cooperation than Tencent, Shanda and Baidu do so well.

Sohu and Taobao in 05 to form a comprehensive strategic alliance with Taobao, trying to tap the new pattern of e-commerce. When the outside world is static to Sohu and Taobao set off the Internet two rounds of happy enclosure, the cooperation between the two only in the ads reflect a little bit more, and no substantial further excavation. With the two sides of each other's e-commerce business lower situation, the cooperation between the two is not in all.

In business, Charles Zhang has always been more aggressive. As early as 2000, Sohu bought chinaren.com with 30 million dollars in shares, a move that was due to Charles Zhang's desire to build "China's largest portal". At that time, Sohu and Chinaren two site users superimposed the number does surpass Sina and NetEase. According to common sense, Sohu became China's internet boss is a nail on the board. Results after the purchase of Sohu Chinaren has not been effective development and utilization, let it develop, even chinaren from the decline, became a alumni. When Sohu was aware of the seriousness of the problem, Chinaren also couldn't help Charles Zhang.

But Sohu will not be silent, Sohu will not be quiet. Charles Zhang launched the "Portal Matrix" concept in 2003, while the resurrection of Chinaren.com, Sohu continued to complete the game portal 17173.com and focus of the real estate network acquisition, claiming that "portal matrix" can maximize the integration of these several industry portal resources through Cross-industry resource exchange and sharing, Promote Sohu overall brand and profitability level.

When Sohu acquired 17173.com, Charles Zhang made the same mistake as chinaren.com He did not effectively use 17173.com to complete the work of organic integration of its business, Sohu by virtue of 17173.com so good resources and not fully involved in the game market, still wandering outside, and the mainstream game in the gap between the more and more widening. The difference is Sohu's rival NetEase tasted the sweetness of the game.

Go2map is also so, May Sohu is a good bole, but just stay in bole this level, it will only Soma horse will not tame. Go2map before this is a good map search, the Word-of-mouth is quite good. Sohu to Sharp business vision will it incur under the go2map, the result of Sohu under the leadership but will map search half of the hand to others.

The original is the industry's leading strong site, the results of the combination of "portal matrix", the individual and the overall advantages have suddenly disappeared. A series of business errors led to Sohu's business is now flat.

Poor management of the cause of the majority from Sohu mismanagement, it senior personage pointed out that "whether Sohu has the business integrated into a platform, the key to see whether Sohu has such a management capacity, its team has made such preparations." "It is clear that Sohu's management team is not ready to do this, and other analysts point out that the Sohu business adjustment is sometimes to please investors."

But there is one thing to be sure, Zhang Chaoyang in the management team of Sohu has an unshakable core position, its hands-on style of work led to excessive centralization of power, decision-making is too arbitrary, the entire management team was overhead, and management of decentralization is not in place and led to the low execution.

In fact, Sohu early management team can be said to be Canglongwohu, former vice-president Feng Yu current Tom Deputy, marketing director Zhang Yi founded E Dragon Net, subsidiary Chinaren founder Zhou Yunfan incumbent Air Network CEO, can say Sohu in the management of the inability to create a lot of IT company's rise.

Perhaps Sohu should now think more about their own construction rather than how to spend money to expand their business, a team without executive power and management ability is difficult to manage any product line. There are so many lessons to be learned.

It can not be denied that Sohu in the course of China's internet has been how to contribute, but such a business in such a way to go, the final result can only be decline.

At the same time also hope that Sohu can reflect on their own problems, more to cultivate their own internal strength, do not let their 10 years of cultivation destroyed.