Much has changed over the past several years in the world of Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and well beyond the predictable stuff of continuously evolving search engine algorithms. Of the two most significant, the first is that “Web 2.0” (aka social media/usergenerated content) has achieved near mainstream status – even for B2Bs – with implications for the conduct of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The second and more challenging change is the complexity of SEO, as practiced in the real world. In times past, one could simply sprinkle key pages with relevant keywords, reflect those properly in page titles and meta tags, and voila! –fairly gratifying search rankings were sure to follow. Not so, anymore. In part, this is a result of the continuing growth of the Web; it’s simply harder to get just any site to rise above the din. In still larger part, it’s due to evolving search engine algorithms placing increasing relative emphasis on: - reputation, as measured by quality inbound links
- content relevance and freshness
- domain age
This has had a number of consequences. For one, it puts much more importance on two tasks that many companies seem to lack the organizational discipline to actually do: inbound link recruitment and ongoing content development. For another, the small sites (relatively speaking) of small and midsize B2Bs are often times going up against large company websites often times with tens of thousands of incoming links and even tens of thousands of pages on their websites. So what’s a small or midsize company to do? Throw your hands in the air and convince yourself that “Google doesn’t really matter that much anyway”? Sure, if you couldn’t care less that 93.4% of B-to-B purchases involve a search and that Google is the preferred search engine for 80% of B-to-B searchers. Or if you’re one of those Marketers who still believes “well we’re the exception, despite the statistics.” Frankly, ignoring Google is simply not an option. Period. It’s time to: - Acknowledge that a Search Engine strategy is essential to your marketing plan
- Accept the truth, which may not be what you want to hear
- Focus on a results-based strategy
- Partner with an expert Search Engine Marketing firm
- Persist with a commitment to ongoing content development and link-building
- Analyze the results on an ongoing basis
- Be flexible and prepared to modify tactics, considering the fluid nature of ranking
algorithms and changes in your competitive market ...
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