Everyone agrees that the web has evolved and advanced at an enormous rate, which has paved new ways for SEO and Social media marketing strategies to develop and take on an almost organic life form. Yes it’s true that social media has officially taken the stage due to its versatile architecture and empowering people to get connected and market their businesses more effectively but that’s not to say that SEO (search engine optimization) should be ignored or taken for granted. SEO and Social media marketing which when combined yields awesome results and has become the new playground for tech-savvy internet marketers and entrepreneurs.

I’ve come across plenty of websites and blogs and it seems that many people have this idea that SEO is dead and the only focus is on social media marketing. It’s true that after reading various articles about using social media as a marketing tool it can be very effective and produce plenty of traffic but if you’re running a website then you shouldn’t forget to keep your focus on both these methods in your marketing arsenal.

How Search Engine’s Rank Pages and why you need to pay Attention.

When it comes to SEO (search engine optimization) it pays to remember how search engines perform their function. Many people seem to forget that Search Engines rank “pages” and NOT “sites”. Understanding this critical point is key, and is highly overlooked when we’re busy optimizing our webpage’s.

Algorithms get updated regularly which is why it is still important to keep a sharp eye on how we optimize individual pages and for which keywords. Sure “personalised search” is already being employed which gives us even more reason to target our keywords more effectively for maximum results and spider food. You see social media marketing takes care of building the community side of things whereas SEO is still about crunching and analysing data, metrics and keywords.

Hocus Pocus, Focus, Focus

The key of combining both Seo and social media marketing lies in precisely targeted campaigns that are tightly focused toward our demographic market. What you want to avoid is honing a perfect social media campaign and when the potential new customer lands on your page finds it to be untargeted and off key. The point here is that people have become smarter in using search engines and social networking sites. People have developed “blocks” and “banner blindness” to most marketing techniques which is why it is imperative to adapt an attitude of strong focus towards targeted keyword optimised landing pages, good content and a strong sense of community in building your Tribe.

In conclusion it is advised to master a fine balance between all these methods, you might even want to consider freeing up some time by hiring or outsourcing a social media manager, but if you’re a keen DIY’er then continue pursuing quality articles about using social media as a marketing tool while keeping your eyes on SEO as well. Adopt a healthy attitude towards Seo and social media marketing and learn fast. The web is moving faster than ever before so don’t get left behind.

Over the past few days I’ve come across a few sites in which they express their concern (and rightly so) with the issue regarding Google’s new methods for personalized search results & how this inevitably affects any and everyone working in Search Engine Optimization and marketing.

One major factor is the issue regarding privacy and how Google will be able to record all your surfing habits and data and then in turn giving you the user more personalized results according to your likes, dislikes and favourite websites to visit etc… the list can go on and on. It’s obvious where most people’s concerns are focused but then again I think it’s important to mention that Google can only record that data when you are logged in to your Google user account.

All of this does have a kind of Big Brother feel to it but this won’t be the first time that Google has introduced changes in the way it conducts its research. On a more positive note it’s potentially a very good update whereas it opens up new avenues for SEO’s to venture towards with regards to manipulating the search engines to rank high and obviously convert and make sales using internet marketing methods. I bet I could find many Search Engine Marketers who’ll agree with me that in many aspects the world of Online Marketing and SEO is hugely saturated, and also insanely competitive, hence why these new changes will open new doors of exploration.

It is inevitable that Google would personalize their search techniques and there are obvious arguments as to why it’s good or bad including the real world challenges for SEO’s. One way of staying ahead of the curve is to influence how users use their search engines. I’m sorry I didn’t get that, can you repeat it again?

Well at least consider that the only obvious solution to optimize for SERP’s, which we know by the way is customized by the individual search engine user’s habits is to influence the very way in which they “use” the search engines or should I say influence their pre-clicking behavior. Remember when a user clicks on your links in the SERP’s it basically tells the search engines that the user refers to your site as an authority site which means good news for you.

Some suggestions and considerations of how to do that is:

• Placing SERP links into your blog posts
• While on the phone to clients mention: search for this & click on it
• Sending emails with links of unpersonalised SERP’s instructing the clients/customer to click on those
• Write articles with reference to your desired SERP links & distribute them on article directories
• Use & create different Social Networking profiles and subtly include those links where relevant without spamming or any unethical intentions
• Take advantage of directing clients, customers and partners to content by way of SERP’s

Basically this list could go on and on but I think the main theme or idea here is to place emphasis on creating interesting ways to influence your traffic’s pre-click behavior and doing it tastefully. Just take note that these are only ideas and suggestions but when you lay it all out on the table they do make sense from an SEO perspective. I trust you have found this post helpful.