In the eyes of some, the very term ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ has become somewhat cliché in its own right. The reason being that it’s technically one of the oldest online marketing concepts in the book and continues to be the primary focus of every single online business owner in the world. And with tens of millions of people gunning for exactly the same glory, things become congested and crowded to such a point where the very value of SEO as a whole is thrown into question.
From a 2014/2015 perspective, to assume that SEO is the same as it has ever been is both ill-founded and dangerous. Quite to the contrary, SEO has evolved from a relatively simple idea into one of the most complex marketing art forms in the history of the web. But here’s the thing – one thing that hasn’t changed is the potential SEO holds for those able to get it right as stipulated by Google and Co. in a contemporary online marketplace.
Rewards Get Richer
To assume or claim that SEO is no longer valuable is, quite frankly, pure cobblers. The statistics alone illustrate the point comprehensively and so too do the actions of largely every web user on the planet. These days, the overwhelming majority of online ‘experiences’ begin with a search engine – that’s tens of billions of queries on a global basis each and every month. Every single one of these queries leads to a list of results and the preference of certain websites over others. And of course, it’s still exactly the same case as it ever was where those ranking more prominently scoop up at least 75% of the traffic.
The rewards of getting SEO right these days are richer than ever before. Not only are folk all over the world more dependent on search engines than ever before, but a growing proportion of the planet is also connected to the web 24/7 and carrying out more searches on a per-person basis than ever before. So next time you’re told SEO no longer holds any value, you can feel as free as you like to laugh in the respective preacher’s face.
Rising Risks
However, what cannot be denied in the modern way of doing things is that the risks associated with SEO are also greater than ever. Strong and effective SEO may be stronger in terms of rewards than it has ever been, but to make an attempt at building an SEO strategy these days represents a complex and hazard-filled balancing act in its own right.
The rewards have never been richer, but as is the case with most things rewards don’t come without taking risks. In the case of SEO, the risk manifests in the form of not only the harshest penalties for those breaking the rules, but also the fact that the rules are being changed all the time. Google has decided to up its game by moving the goalposts on a pretty constant basis, which in turn means that even if you’re doing something ‘right’ today, there’s a chance it could be considered unacceptable spam tomorrow.
And that’s pretty much the shape of SEO as far as the current online marketing professionals like Jenkinson & Associates describe it – getting it right means richer rewards than ever, but at the same time getting it even a little bit right has never been more of an ask.
The Importance of Bet Spreading
All of the above represents that very reason why any business looking to maintain its position and viability for the long-term needs to understand the importance of spreading bets wisely…in a marketing context. It was once the done thing to stick all of a brand’s eggs in Google’s considerable basket and rely solely on SEO to get by. These days however, SEO is so fickle that should too much time and effort be invested in this single area of marketing, the more damage will be done next time Google decides to shake things up.
Yes, SEO is important and yes, it must remain a key part of any online marketing mix – as mentioned above the rewards are just too great to overlook. More so, SEO is of fundamental importance for basic survival given the world’s accelerating dependence on search engines. However, it’s just as important to ensure that SEO is backed by a strong, workable and long-term marketing plan in general in order to make sure that if and when the search engines undergo any kind of transformation, there’s still enough happening in the background to keep the business afloat.
