SEO is experiencing an increase in popularity, as traditional marketing media decline. But as far more companies become target customers, is there a need for a change of approach?
Many sections of the media are experiencing a decline in advertising revenue, as people fast-forward through TV ads, and wonder about the value they get from magazine advertising. Online marketing is still on the increase, and as more people become aware of what can be achieved online, there is a need to start providing different styles of offerings for the very different customer profiles out there.
SEO Search Engine Optimization (Optimization in the US) is one area that has tremendous growth potential, but many people think it is super-technical and it needs re-positioning if it is going to appeal to the masses.
Of course SEO is not very technical at all. The process is much more about marketing – understanding the keywords people are putting into the search engines, optimizing the web site and submitting press releases, articles and link submissions. It really is the job of a marketer. If only more of the marketing industry understood that, they would be on to a goldmine.
Then there are the SEO offerings in the market. Many SEO experts prefer to let people think that it is highly technical, or a black art – something they would never understand. What is really needed is a response to the marketplace, which caters for all sizes of companies in all kinds of competitive markets. Perhaps larger companies, with complex websites, and very competitive markets, require a consultancy approach where they can involve their marketing and IT people in the process and build their own in-house capacity in the longer term?
Sometimes there is also a place for the Do-It-Yourself approach for some companies. Maybe they could use computer aided training to learn the fundamentals, and then have someone on hand on the phone to help when they are stuck.
You see, the potential marketplace is huge, but there will always be a large part of that market that would be put off by large up-front fees, and on-going monthly maintenance costs. The SEO specialists are actually missing out on a large portion of the market by restricting the way they do business. So this is a rallying call to the SEO market. It is time for evolution. This is not a time for the misguided notice that knowledge is power. Let people know what it is about. You would ALL benefit.