Is SEO DOA core marketing strategy?

A Google search page is visible through the glasses of a user's computer in Leicester, Central England, 20 July 2007.

Credit: Reuters/Darren StaplesBy, Deborah L. Cohen

CHICAGO | Wed Apr 27, 2010 12: 46 pm EDT

CHICAGO (Reuters)-Ron Springer older company website and spends a large part of your marketing budget, to encourage the rank search engine. Had no idea he might abandon money for an old strategy.

"If the search engine is what gets you to the top of the list, what is?" said Springer, who runs the event boutique design firm Esprit productions in Libertyville, Illinois. "We designed this search engine completely in the mind."

Entrepreneurs such as Springer, you might want to reconsider money we are supposed to search engine optimization (SEO) as their primary marketing strategy, according to Chris Dixon, who recently wrote a controversial blog (buySAFE/gjIzMJ), titled: "SEO is no longer a viable marketing strategy for startups".

"Speak in many startups and almost none that I know post-2008 acquired considerable traction by SEO," wrote Dixon, co-founder of online startup Hunch, which has invested in several startups, including Skype and Foursquare.

Dixon was taken to task by the defenders of the popular SEO, for strengthening the Organization's presence on Internet searches with keywords and relevant Web links.

Among them was Dave McClure, a prominent Angel Investor and founding partner of Silicon Valley tech incubator 500 startups. "I'm a contrarian because SEO works. SEO course topics, "McClure said, adding creates" enormous sums of monetization on the Web, vast amounts of traffic-organic and paid. "

SEO DOESN'T "MAGIKOS ZWMOS"

Many technology experts don't buy the argument of Dixon, but most, including McClure, admit that SEO should be seen as part of a broader strategy that gives increased weight to newly emerging platforms. Note also that higher standards for quality are more time consuming than ever, effective SEO, adding the difficulty facing startups with limited resources at their disposal.

"I am not saying you can't do with SEO progress," said Ryan Evans, who runs the Chicago online marketing company with Rand Media Group. "But I think there are too many people there selling SEO as a magic filter and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

To illustrate a more balanced approach between Internet operators, Evans said the slogan for online marketing Conference, SES (Search Engine Strategies), charged the same as: "a leading search marketing and social events."

"SEO has become less of a technical exercise issued in a vacuum," said Evans, who uses a combination of public relations, SEO, pay-per-click, email and social media to gain impetus for clients.

An integrated approach is certainly the rationale behind the HubSpot, a software platform that helps small businesses use and measure a variety of Web-based marketing techniques-blogging, social media, content management and email-to create specific business leads. Founder Dharmesh Shah said his company, a startup itself, draws two every 10 visitors of Facebook and Twitter. Nevertheless remains a strong advocate of SEO.

"The big reason why SEO is important for small enterprises is simple: people still use search engines, especially Google, with great frequency," said Shah, another critic about the blog "Dixon.And unlike other channels to reach customers, connect with users, the search is worth more, because there is an active intention. "

BLACK HAT TO DISAPPEAR

Shah maintains a level playing field for small businesses, developing SEO has leveled in recent months. Quality standards have been improved, making it more difficult to throw big dollars in the process of creating server farms and using other questionable tactics, the so-called "Black Hat".

"In the early days of search engine optimization have certain rough and unsavory maps makes all manner of unpleasant things to try to game the system," Shah said, adding the emphasis now is on creating relevant, original content and a compelling online experience. "Now all the search engines and Google have gotten much better about (detection)."

Whereas it may be one of the reasons why small businesses are increasingly relying on SEO. According to a survey by email marketing company constant contact, practicing some form of SEO 29 percent of small businesses. An additional 13 percent had plans to employ SEO within six months, according to the survey, which polled approximately 3,800 small companies in March.

Dixon, who said the column "widely" has been misunderstood to be generally against SEO, believes that should be used to increase a marketing campaign and "should not boot a kernel of business plan."

However, it is not as optimistic as the Shah on the reduction of Black Hat practices, despite the best efforts of Google, and the blog has "billions of dollars and tens of thousands of people working on the game In this climate of SEOstartups, producing high-quality content, it will be hard pressed to appear high in search engine results, said Dixon.

"Until that changes," he wrote in his blog, "startups, who generally have small budgets, small groups and misgivings to avoid black-hat tactics-no longer consider a sustainable marketing strategy SEO."

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