The search engine
optimization (SEO)
industry has seen
better days. While it
will come as no
surprise that search
and SEO remains
a core marketing
strategy for many
Web businesses,
social media — and
thus, social media
optimization — is
gaining ground,
and quickly.
Marketing Sherpa polled 2,300
communication specialists and, in
early February 2010, reported that
79 percent of participants in the retail
and e-commerce segment expect
to heighten their social media
outlay this year. That revelation
signals a new age for Internet marketing
— perhaps one where SEO
takes a back seat.
The Web is now seeing the
evolution from optimizing websites
for better placement in search
engines, to optimizing content (and the channels on which
the content appears) to build stronger relationships with existing
customers and prospects, regardless of their Web or
real world location.