I got the inspiration for this Blog post from an article in the Swedish computer magazine Internet World, an article in which I was one of the interviewed search specialists. You can read the entire article here.

The article is talking about how much better search is today and how the business has matured. This is both true… and false. There is a long way to go still and sad to say – for companies employing Search agencies today, you have to be aware! Perhaps the days of spamming and unreliable methods are almost over, however, many suppliers of search marketing are still very focused on SEO and technical and editorial issues of a website.  In my opinion this is a problem because search marketing today is not that simple and it can’t be an isolated issue. Search marketing is a part of the overall marketing strategy and it cannot be limited to only concerning the website, high rankings, driving traffic and so on. It is all about communication and brand value. All digital marketing has to be search friendly. SEO is still central but we have to look at the bigger picture.

• Sure you rank no 1 but is it the accurate web page that the visitor end up on?  The ranking position it self is not a guarantee for success; it can actually be the opposite!

• Sure you get a lot of traffic but what happens with the visitor once they end up on your website? Do they stay and do the things you want them to or do they leave instantly? If so, what is your traffic worth?

• Sure you have great products to sell (according to you) but what do your clients actually think about them and do they talk about that online? How does their points of view effect your brand?

The bigger picture involves all of your digital presence online and in order to be successful in search you have to optimize beyond just your web site. This is a view I am missing today when looking at the methods and services provided by the search companies.

However, it is not just dark skies. Things ARE in fact slowly getting better. And as search becomes more and more important for businesses out there the search agencies are forced to look beyond traditional strategies and incorporate the overall marketing perspective in their offer.

/Linn

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