SEO: it isn't what you should be concerned about now
I've been considering and reading about all the changes in the data-eating industry that Google, Facebook, et al are enacting and one big theme is starting to arise in my head: Search and search engine optimization are virtually worthless now. (That's gonna piss some people off.)
It used to be that people kept their browser start-up page on Google because they went on the interweb tubes to look for stuff; sometimes with a purpose but most of the time just to do it. That's not the case anymore. I know very few people that fire up their laptops, tablets and smart phones and immediately go to the browser. now they got to Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in, Flipboard or any other application that allows them to get input from their social circle. I know I'm one of them. My browers (I use several) are set to open on publication sites like The Economist, SFGate and Electronic Products. That, too, is not unsual as I see many people reading news sites of traditional media like the NY Times and the WSJ. You don't need to go to a search engine site to get started because every browser has a little search window.
Why do we do this now? Because the information we get from the apps, social circles and specific publications are trustworthy. You can't trust what you find on Google or Yahoo or even Bing because you know that he who spends the most money on SEO gets to the top of those lists, so you find places you can trust. SEO doesn't do that. You may not agree with me but there are some very big players that do. One of them is Google.
Google+ is the next big thing for Google and they are all in on this concept. They know if they don't make this work they will be nothing in 20 years. They know that the audiences don't trust the information they get from the vaunted Google search engine but the audience has ways of getting around the high-paid subterfuge of corporate SEO addicts. They are using social media platforms that are eating into the Google influence sphere like a swarm of locusts through a wheat field. Google+ says, "We know you don't trust us, so let us listen in as you talk to people you do trust. Maybe we can figure something out."
This is a revolutionary moment in media that will drive us back to a time when media actually held the trust of the public. And I'll explain that next week.
Lou - great piece. Are we seeing the development of a new cycle here? Online communication tools and communities emerge, are targeted by the world of PR and marketing of which you and I are a part, become distrusted and are replaced?
ReplyDeleteSearch Engine Optimisation is an expert field which takes years to understand and it also takes ongoing research and education in order to achieve sustainable benchmarks that will ultimately deliver your business the results it requires.
ReplyDeletePeter, yes, we are seeing a new cycle emerge, but it won't replace traditional marketing and public relations. It will make them more effective, or, in the least, effective once again.
ReplyDeleteNo argument from me. Unfortunately, it is such an expert field that few potential SEO customers understand what it means, nor do they see it's value. It's become an MBO component.
ReplyDeleteAre we saying here that the world is no longer flat? Or perhaps that it has developed some creases here and there? Ultimately, search does still work, and the 'small' guy can still get in there by using savvy instead of bucks, but I agree it is getting harder.
ReplyDeleteSearch works, but it is no longer the magic process it once was. More people visit websites through Facebook recommendations than through search engines now. But what's even more amazing is a new number I found: More people visit websites through email links than through social media platforms.
ReplyDeleteSEO is still simple, I'm not to sure why it has to made to sound difficult. It may be a lot harder now to game the system which is a good thing. At the end of the day what was working well 3 or 4 years ago is still working well today. Top quality, original content plus natural links from a wide variety of high PR sources. It just takes time. The problem is people are to impatient an expect results right away, it doesn't work like that.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Richard, that SEO is simple. The problem is that the quality of the content IS questionable for many people. If you want to find out what President Obama said today, sure, you can find all kinds of reporting and content on it. But if you are trying to find a how-to on installing solar energy on your home, you are inundated with dozens of vendors on each page and not a single comprehensive guide. You can write all kinds of content, from crappy to mediocre, and with a decent SEO approach, you can drive all kinds of qualified leads to your doorstep. That doesn't make the content high-quality for your customer. It's high-quality for you. And the customers know it.
ReplyDeleteSEO is great for getting found. It's not great for finding.
Fascinating post. Maybe the world needs 'gatekeepers' after all - e.g. newspaper editors, a & r departments etc as sources of trust. However, it will be interesting to see how much of traditional media survives to take this role.
ReplyDeleteYou might be surprised how well traditional media is doing. You can pull out specific examples of failure, but overall, the industry is morphing and growing.
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