|
The State Of Search Engine Marketing,
2003. Google rules the roost.
While some
other forms of online advertising are tanking, search
engine marketing is enjoying a stellar trajectory
with site owners and investors alike. Google have
become the first post-crash tech darling, while Overture
and Yahoo continue to enjoy positive results. Cost
effective SEO/SEM strategies mean that webmasters
are falling over themselves to please the search
engines and grab those potentially lucrative top
spots.
Are the old
stalwarts of the Internet the happy face of Internet
advertising, circa 2003?
SEO Grows Up
Last year,
I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the leading
players in the search engine marketing world, including
top executives from search engines such as Google & Inktomi.
Two trends that many interviewees
acknowledged, besides the potential and popularity
of this marketing channel, were that search engine
optimization is in the process of "growing up",
moving beyond pure placement and firmly into the realm
of marketing. ROI, conversions, reporting and tracking
are becoming increasingly important. The old-school
technical exercise of attaining high rankings is perhaps
becoming increasingly marginalized. If rankings do
not translate into sales, then what good are they?
It's no longer enough just to be seen, web sites must
put search engine traffic to work.
Ralph Tegtmeier, of fantomaster.com,
put it this way. "(SEM) will probably be ever
more concentrated on ROI requirements. This demands
a strong combination of tech savvy and marketing outlook,
unlike the classical SEO scenario where technology
enjoyed an absolute priority, with marketing expertise
playing only the second fiddle".
However, important as search engine
marketing is, interviewees also acknowledged that search
engine marketing is only one piece of the online marketing
pie, and site owners would be wise to diversify.
Brett Tabke, of Webmasterworld: "Since
the day Infoseek was closed, I have had a note tapped
on my monitor: "Beyond The SE's". It was
clear to me back then that the quantity of search engine
referrals would continue to shrink and that alternatives
must be found. Whether you want to call it optimization,
marketing, or promotion, two years from now it will
be more broad based than ever before. There is a diversification
underway that will require us to learn more than just
the search engine game".
Successful search marketing will
involve a heterogeneous mix of factors with one common
aim: to get traffic and, more importantly, ensure that
traffic is put to good use.
Search Engines Reaching Out, Some
Webmasters Remain Skeptical
Search engine optimisers have always had a tenuous
relationship with search engines. This year a Wired
article featuring Sergey Brin, Google's "conscience
and head policymaker", claimed "the way Brin
sees it, the optimizers are co-opting Google's bond
of trust with its users. He regards optimizers the
way a mother grizzly might regard a hunter jabbing
at her cub with a stick". However, Brin is probably
not unhappy with those SEO's/SEM's who have reportedly
poured large sums of cash into the Google coffers via
AdWords and other paid placement programs.
To be fair, 2002 saw a public reaching out between
search engines and webmasters, more so than ever before.
Googleguy, a Google employee answers webmasters queries
via Webmasterworld. I interviewed Cindy
McCaffrey, Google's VP of marketing, and she had
this to say on Google's communication policy "We
have many channels for maintaining frequent and open
communications with the webmaster community. Of course,
there's Googleguy. We also provide specific info on
our website for webmasters, we attend industry events
for webmasters, and participate in forums. We are always
looking for new ways to connect with this community
and are committed to maintaining an open dialogue with
webmasters". Some webmasters remain skeptical
of Googles motives, however.
While Google may rule the roost for now, other search
services are showing signs of waking from their post-crash
slumber. Yahoo recently bought Inktomi and played down
it's association with Google, although it still features
Google listings in it's search results. Inktomi rolled
out their new search offering, Web Search 9, and AlltheWeb
are looking
at adding catalogues this year. Things are hotting
up - search is back on the agenda, and, if
rumor has it, back on the NASDAQ.
A Unique Medium
One thing is certain: search engine
marketing is looking very healthy indeed as we head
into 2003.
Why is this?
The underlying fundamentals of the
activity remain sound. I think search engine commentator Danny
Sullivan put it best, "I liken search engines
to being a "reverse broadcast network." People
pay tons to be on television because you can get your
message out in front of millions of people: broadcasting.
With search engines, millions of people are telling
you *their* messages: what they want to buy, purchase
or get information about. You don't broadcast to them;
instead, it's the reverse, they broadcast to you. There's
very little if anything as a marketing or information
medium that I can think of that compares to this. It's
golden and still today amazingly unrecognized".
</end>
Peter Da Vanzo is a Search Engine
Marketer and search industry commentator. He can be
found at www.searchengineblog.com.
This article is (c) 2003. All rights reserved. Republication
rights on application.
|
