Is SEO Dead?

Just want to share the following with you. The rapid-fire changes that influence web promotions can give you brain freeze, but sometimes you get an item that initiates a thaw. Attached is a piece I received from my frequent correspondent Dave Levinsky.

SEO has received so much press over time that you may think it's our primary goal. This item should give you a fresh outlook.

Wishing you success!

Your Partner in Business Development

Robert Ott PMP, LEED GA

Earth Energy Exchange, Ltd

Is SEO Dead? Predicting the Future of SEO

By Phil Frost

Phil is Managing Partner of Main Street ROI, providing online marketing training for small businesses.

In the past two years, Google has made significant changes to their search engine... and it's clear to me that Google's long-term goal is to make traditional search engine optimization (SEO) tactics obsolete. And Google has only just begun. In the coming years, SEO as we know it today will no longer exist.

Timeline of Recent Google Updates
The shift began when Google Places launched on April 20, 2010. Google Places leveled the playing field and gave the small, local business a way to compete with the 'big boys' because geography was now factored into the search ranking algorithm. For example, if you search for "dentist" then you'll see a map in the upper right corner showing you dentists in your area as well as contact information listed in the main search results.

Google Places was also the first attempt for Google to measure the popularity and quality of businesses by using a review system. In theory, more positive reviews indicate that a business provides excellent service and deserves to be #1 in the search results. So now Google is incorporating location of the user searching in Google, the location of your business, and the popularity of your business via reviews.

But that was just the beginning...

Next, Google introduced Google+ on June 28, 2011. Google+ is a social platform that functions similar to Facebook. The critical feature is the ability for users to share online news articles, blog posts, videos, pictures, etc. with all of their friends and family. Bingo! Now Google can measure users' engagement with online content and use that information to further enhance their search algorithm.

If more people are sharing a webpage, or +1'ing (Google's version of Facebook's Like button), then that's a great indication of the popularity and quality of the webpage. By factoring in social signals, Google can rank the most popular content higher in the search results and filter out any junk that no one cares about.

Uh oh... Does that mean SEO is really all about social media optimization? Sort of, but we'll come back to that in a minute.

On May 30, 2012, Google migrated and renamed Google Places to Google+ Local. As the new name indicates, Google made this change in order to incorporate the social signals from Google+ into the algorithm to rank local businesses. This means businesses with more user engagement (i.e. +1's, comments, sharing, and of course reviews) will rank higher than other businesses that are not as "socially active."

What Does This Mean For The Future Of SEO?
Google's goal is to ensure the most relevant, highest quality and most popular content rises to the top of the search results. Before the updates listed above, Google's primary signal for relevance, quality, and popularity was the number and quality of hyperlinks pointing to your website from other websites. Essentially, a link is a vote in your webpage's favor. The more links you have to your webpage, the higher your webpage will rank in Google.
Therefore, traditional SEO was all about building links to the webpages you want to rank high in Google. But the future of SEO will not rely primarily on links. Google is now in a position to measure user engagement via Google+ and business owners must adopt a new SEO strategy to compete online.

Google announced and has already begun the merging of Google+ Local business listings with older Google+ Business pages. When the merger is complete, all businesses will have just one core Google+ Business page where they can post engaging updates, articles, pictures, videos, etc and allow prospects and customers to +1, comment, and share.
All of this points to the fact that Google wants businesses to interact with users, and over time these social signals will become more and more important in the search engine ranking algorithm.

So What Does This Mean For You?
If you want to secure and maintain top rankings in Google over the long term, then you can't rely on old SEO tactics. Links are still (and will always be) important, but social media signals will soon be a major factor you can't ignore.

First, if you haven't already, I strongly recommend you set up and claim ownership of your Google+ page. Soon Google will complete their next update and you'll be able to publish updates, contests, coupons, special deals, articles, pictures and videos to engage your prospects and customers. Think about what you can publish that will encourage more comments, +1's, and sharing.
The goal is essentially to generate activity on your website and Google+ page. The more activity the better because it shows Google you're a popular and high quality business that deserves to rank #1 in the search results.

So now you know how to position your website to take advantage of the major shift Google has already started to make. If you don't want to get left behind, then I recommend you take action quickly. With change, comes great opportunity and now is a great time to secure top rankings so you start attracting more leads and sales to your business!

***

Explore all the tools examined on ExchangeNotes the blog, and especially those select services featured at EEeXchange.net. We also welcome phone calls to discuss the state-of-the-art in online marketing, and comments at our LinkedIn group ExchangeNotes.



Your Partner in Business Development

Robert Ott PMP, LEED GA

Earth Energy Exchange, Ltd.

631-371-6842

WebMarketing Survey

We've started our compilation of tools for Online Marketing, with pricing and range of service comparisons. See below for basics; obviously a work in progress. We'll continue to update as we examine the user experience through our own interactions, and those of our Followers.
Please go to our WebMarketing Survey to participate even more in this! It will not only help you assess your own strategies, but will also contribute to the final Comparative Analysis. At the same time you'll be helping the members of our Linkedin Group (ExchangeNotes) and the Followers of our website blog.

Reachlocal

·         Service:

Search engine advertising	Advertising tracking
Web marketing	Live chat
Display advertising	Banner ad design
Remarketing	Video production

·         Pricing levels: starting at $1,400/m, $3,000/m, $5,000/m

Hubspot

·         Features:

SEO tools	List creation
Business blogging platform	Lead tracking
Social media engagement tools	Extensive website, marketing, blog, and social media analytics
Email marketing	Super simple content management system
Prospect identification

·         3 packages: basic, professional, enterprise

·         Price range: $200/m to $3000/m

Infusionsoft

·         Services:

Website marketing	Pay per click advertising PPC
Search engine optimization	Email marketing

·         Products:

Web development	eCommerce website	Website credit card payment
Website	Web shop	Online web catalogue
Content management system	Website shopping basket	eCommerce website designs
Website design	Web shopping cart

 FMYI

·         Features: (free version)

File sharing	Customer support
Tasking	Search labels
Messaging	Tiered permission levels
Calendar and event sharing	Email notifications and reminders

·         Features: (paid version)

Team tasking	Surveys
Custom importing	Advanced searching
Scheduled letters	Topic tagging

 Constant contact

·         Products and Features:

Email marketing	Online survey
Social campaigns	By industry
Event marketing

 ·         Email marketing price range:

1.       standard pricing: free first 60 days, $15/m to $150/m

2.       pre-pay discount: free first 60 days, $12.75/m to $135/m

3.       nonprofit pre-pay: free first 60 days, $10.5/m to $120/m

·         Social campaigns monthly pricing:

Free to $ 49.98/m

google adwords

·         Features:

A AUD $10 activation fee	Daily budget and maximum cost-per-click(CPC) that you set (1 cent), never spend more than you want
No minimum spending or time commitment	Targeted advertising to reduce unwanted clicks

·         Price: as desired

Radian6

·         Services

Insights	Engagement console
Summary dashboard	Social enterprise
Mobile app	API data and service extensions
Professional service team

·         Pricing levels: business ($600/m), standard($1800/m), advanced($4100), pro($10,000/m)

re. "GREEN IS GOOD, USUALLY"

My recent post entitled "Green is Good, Usually" at SolidGroundNews has received some interest. If you're following this topic, about the Dec 2011 NJ Commission of Investigation report "Industrious Subversion", you may want to also read The Mob Goes Green - Organized Crime Profits With New Jersey Recycling and N.J.'s Solid Waste and Recycling Industry is an Eco-Friendly Mob.

ENCOURAGE AVARICE

A Revolutionary Answer for Occupy

In recent musings, my family confirmed that Capital Extraction lay at the heart of our recession's tenacity. If Capital is not allowed out to exercise its muscles, the result is economic atrophy, as we all know so well.*

This being so, we then decided that the key to economic recovery, and the answer to Occupy's voluble cant, must lie in Private Equity.

Private Equity, in stark contrast with the trend in other sectors, is enjoying a rebirth. In fact, September 2011 angel and seed VC activity was up 172% since January 2010, and at their highest levels in the last seven quarters (CB Insights). Given enough reason, Holders who now sit on their capital will emerge from the sidelines to drive an economic Renaissance. It happened with dot.coms and it happened again with subprime mortgages. Today's Holders only need another sensational new "engine", and they will jump in with both feet.

Avarice simply will not be denied; ask any of those recently imprisoned for stepping over the line. Give Private Equity an arena to play in. Enough of public equity - put it back in the coffers where it belongs - I will not have my tax money vaporize in some "initiative" run by sleepy-heads.

Herein lies the answer - encourage avarice, and natural cupidity will do the rest. Drive Private Equity to the extreme boundaries it so loves and desires. Encourage Private Equity - this is the answer. A few will shine, many will die on the vine, and our economic ecosystem will thrive.

To learn more about the new dynamic in business development, go to EEexchange.net.


* "Capital Extraction - The Root of All Evil" ExchangeNotes, Nov 12, 2011

CAPITAL EXTRACTION - The Root of All Evil

...and the foundation of the Wall Street backlash.

When productive capital, the real key to stimulus, is extracted wholesale from the economy, the result is malaise, the debilitating economic ennui we now know so well. Where is the economic muscle, the economic engine of productive capital; where does it now reside? It once dwelt in the hands of capitalistic giants like Carnegie, Macy and Ford, who knew how to apply their capital muscle where it mattered, in the factories and selling floors that drove our country to greatness. Those individuals created and sold Value, in a market driven by value-creation.

What now? Now we have "derivatives" and a class of derivative-driven wealth that drains the heartwood of its sap. Some trading house now dreams up a "derivative" that bundles the wealth of some real asset into some paper concept, with all the illusion of substance. This derivative is drummed and wheedled into the mainstream, until it reaches the point of saturation, then collapses, only to be replaced by some new sensational abstract.

So too an ever-widening circle of wealth Holders is created, individuals ever farther removed from productivity; the extraction not only complete but permanent, since the Holder has no idea how to put the intrinsic muscle of capital to use. This new group, not "old money" but rather "new money", walks away with a massive chunk of capital, and places it wholesale in some safe place. Here it must remain, as the happy Holder hasn't the slightest notion how to put capital to productive use, how to create Value. Another massive extraction has taken place, and sadly, a permanent extraction.

So the capital extraction goes on. Those who drew out their capital from subprime mortgages move on to Euro-bonds, until that too must collapse; all our powerful capital now bound in the hands of the economically atrophied, those without the slightest notion how to use its universal muscle. So it goes on; ever more exotic derivatives, ever further removed from the productive reuse for which capital was invented, and once exercised its great strength.