The internet is full of choices. “Who will be your ISP?” and “What web browser will you use?” is just the beginning.

Choice means there is competition. Competition is important because companies are forced to innovate and provide top-notch customer support or they risk loosing their customers. However, there is a downside to this.

Take instant messaging as an example. There are many different programs and protocals out there, only a handful which can interact with each other. For some of my contacts I must use ICQ, for other AIM, others Google Talk, and other MSN or Yahoo. Thats right, that is five different programs — just for text chatting, and there are plenty missing from my list!

This “problem” isn’t limited to instant messaging programs either. For example, if you want to find an apartment in Rome, Italy, there are countless rental agency websites that you have to crawl through. Well over 50 companies bid for the keyword “rome apartments” on Google alone. At some point, the advantages of competition begin to be outweighed by the difficulty to locate what you are looking for.

Google was a step in the right direction. Shopping comparison sites have made millions pulling the mess of online retailers together. I predict that the next 5 to 10 years will see a boom in companies who bring information together, be it vacation rentals or online communication.

People are looking for stuff, does your website make it easier, or harder for them to find it?