I've been reading for a while now that search engine optimization has
been dying a slow death. Some say that the ubiquitous nature of
pay-per-click (PPC) ads is the last straw in a series of SEO aches and
pains. However, I'm not ready to nail the coffin shut, not by a long
shot.
It's true that search engine optimization as many used to practice it
in the "old days" (1995 - 1999) is dead. To that I say good riddance.
However, there has always been a core group of optimizers who never
got lured into the black art of SEO. Hidden text, doorway pages,
multiple domains, algorithm cracking...all of these were standard
practice for many companies during that period. In fact, this kind of
stuff was so prevalent for so long, that many SEO "dabblers" still
haven't caught on. Those techniques just won't cut it any more.
Even when they did cut it, the results only lasted as long as the
algorithm for which they were designed.
Years ago, when I would read about the latest and greatest techniques
for "tricking" the search engines, I would often wonder if I were
missing the boat by not working that way. There were times when I
even doubted my own tried and true ways of attacking SEO. But then
I'd slap myself and remember that my "crazy" content is king method
seemed to be working fine, so I must be doing something right. When I
hear people say that the search engines *now* want to see relevant
content (like this is some new concept), it absolutely blows me away!
Content is all they've ever wanted, and all they will want in the
future.
As to the PPC dilemma, this situation is a little different, but still
not the death of SEO as I see it. To me (and many others), bidding on
keywords at Overture today is really no different than placing banner
ads on the search engines and directories a few years ago. The only
difference between PPC and banners is PPC is a lot cheaper than
banners were, plus they are bid on as opposed to paying a set price.
What you get for your bid, however, is still just an ad. You're
essentially sponsoring that spot on the search engines and
directories. It's not the same thing as traditional search engine
results. From what I understand, companies who use both traditional
SEO and PPC often find that their top listings in the "regular"
results perform much better than their PPC ads. However, PPC ads do
create some return on investment (ROI) for many companies. If it
weren't creating any ROI, PPC would have disappeared a long time ago.
I have a few concerns about the future of PPC, however. Right now,
many of the search engines and directories are labeling their PPC ads
as something other than a sponsorship ad. Because of this, many
people searching in the engines have no idea that these are paid
spots. Tests have shown that more people click on the ads when
they're not labeled as "sponsors," which is why they're not labeling
them as such. (I read that a long time ago at AltaVista when they
were testing how to label their ads.) I do believe that eventually,
search engine ads will have to be labeled as such, just as magazine
and newspaper ads must be labeled this way. When this happens, it's
anyone's guess what the click-through rates will be.
My other concern is that prices for PPC ads will eventually skyrocket.
Since there's no set price, it's easy to have bidding wars that drive
the prices way up for certain keywords. I believe that as companies
start to see their PPC accounts dwindle faster and faster, they'll
eventually become disgusted and decide that they do indeed need to be
found in the "regular" search engine results. I'm already beginning
to hear this from many clients that come to me for traditional SEO.
Many are simply tired of spending thousands a month for PPC.
On that note, I do believe that PPC is here to stay. It's got a huge
following, and it apparently does work for many who use it. But
search engine optimization isn't going anywhere either. It's alive
and well and working for me the same as it always has!
Jill
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