Redefining SEO: The Business of Discovery October 19, 2009
Wikipedia defines SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as the following:
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results as opposed to search engine marketing (SEM) which deals with paid inclusion. Typically, the earlier (or higher) a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a web site web presence.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.
It’s a a straightforward description of (what appears to be) a straightforward practice: optimizing websites, typically through on-page means, to perform better in search engine results.
The logic behind SEO as a marketing strategy makes sense, of course. Search was, at one point, the primary way – if not the only way – that most users discovered new content on the web. Search engines provided much-needed structure and organization, and they were the primary method of online navigation.
Needless to say, if you wanted to be discovered, you needed to rank in the search engines. If you ranked higher, you’d get more traffic, and ultimately more business.
But as we head towards 2010, is it enough for SEO to be focusing only on search, as Wikipedia’s definition would suggest?
Searching and Discovering = Two sides of the SEO coin.
Things have changed significantly over the last few years. “Surfing the Internet” is now a quaint reminder of the late 90′s. Blogs have become mainstream, social networking sites are household names, rich media platforms are commonplace. The web has grown and diversified; users have many new options to discover things online.
The result? Search engines remain dominant for finding things online, but their roll in the discovery process has slipped.
Here’s how I outline the issue:
Users hit the search engines when they’re looking for something. The users have an objective, however well defined – or loosely defined – it may be. There’s a finish line, a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. When they find their answer, the search is over.
Users turn to alternative sources when they want to discover something new. Be it social bookmarking sites or the trusted opinions of authoritative bloggers, there’s a plethora of different methods to find new content on the web. And unlike search engines, there’s the added human factor involved in many of these alternative services – a sense of credibility that can’t be found in an automated SERPs (search engine result pages) listing.
So what does it mean for SEO?
The entire point of this post is quite simple: I believe that the definition of SEO should be changed, and the first step to this change is the ditching of the term “search engine optimization” altogether. It’s a restrictive term that pigeonholes us into a niche, and I don’t like it.
Yes, search engines play a key part in what we do. They’re the cornerstone of the industry and they’re the reason we all started in this business. But SEO practitioners can’t neglect all of the other networks and media platforms that are out there.
SEO is a business built on discovery, introducing users to new content that they wouldn’t have found otherwise. The social web and new media have given us additional ways to make those discoveries happen.
My Proposal: SEO = Strategy, Engagement and Optimization
Here’s how I break down each element of my proposed SEO trifecta:
Strategy
From on-site planning (information architecture, site structure and keyword research) to off-site tactics (link baiting, social networking presence and new media), strategy provides the groundwork for everything we do. Nothing begins until a plan has been made, with clearly defined reasoning behind every implementation.
Engagement
“Web 2.0″ marked the emergence of the social web, a platform in which unprecedented levels of collaboration and interaction could take place. Thus treating the web as a digital version of traditional media isn’t enough; if you want to make the most of your web presence, you need to be prepared to engage with your users on multiple levels.
Optimization
Your website is the hub of everything you do online, thus it should be completely solid. Optimization ensures that all of the necessary pieces are in place: content is well-written and targeted; cross-linking within pages; crawling errors are addressed; tags are in place; duplicate text is removed; etc. (The fundamentals of “traditional” SEO, if you will.)
Is it a crazy notion? Perhaps. But seeing as most major SEO agencies are branching out into these areas anyway, I see this as progress of the industry, and not a protest of the status quo.
Posted in SEO